Two trees have perfectly straight trunks and are both growing perpendicular to t

Question

Two trees have perfectly straight trunks and are both growing perpendicular to the flat horizontal ground beneath them. The sides of the trunks that face each other are separated by 1.3 m. A frisky squirrel makes three jumps in rapid succession. First, he leaps from the foot of one tree to a spot that is 1 m above the ground on the other tree. Then, he jumps back to the first tree, landing on it at a spot that is 1.5 m above the ground. Finally, he leaps to the other tree, now landing at a spot that is 2.1 m above the ground. What is the magnitude of the squirrel's displacement?

Explanation / Answer

For calculating the displacement of squirrel, we have to calculate only the distance between the two end points.

Here, the squirrel ends up 2.1 m above and 1.3 m to the side of his original postion.

So, the displacement magnitude is |s| = [2.1² + 1.3²]

= sqrt (6.1) = 2.47 m. (Answer)

Please note that the above value is not the same as the total distance traveled, which is the sum of displacement magnitudes of each leg.

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