Question

A student runs from the ground floor to the fourth floor of a school building to collect a book and then comes down to their classroom on the second floor. If the height of each floor is 3 m, find:

1. the total vertical distance travelled, and
2. their displacement from the starting point

Answer 1

Given: Height of each floor = 3 m

(i) Moving from the ground floor to the fourth floor = 4 floors

Vertical distance covered upward = 4 × 3 = 12

Then moving down from the fourth floor to the second floor = 2 floors

Vertical distance covered downward = 2 × 3 = 6 m

∴ Total vertical distance travelled = 12 + 6 = 18 m

(ii) The student comes to rest on the second floor.

Displacement = height of the second floor above the ground floor

= 2 × 3 = 6 m (upward direction)

Hence, the total vertical distance travelled is 18 m, and the displacement from the starting point is 6 m upward.