A guy flies 424 miles northeast to Atlanta, from New Orleans where he changes planes and flies 577 miles north to Baltimore and at the end of the weekend, he takes a 999 mile nonstop plane from Baltimore back to New Orleans.
While in Baltimore, what was his displacement from New Orleans? What total distance did he travel during his trip?

Question

anonymous · Answer

Sketch it out on paper and you will be able to easily figure it out. The main thing the problem wants you to understand is the difference between distance and displacement. The two can be different. 

For example, you can walk to the library taking a windy path or you can go straight there. Your displacement will be the same either path you take but distance will not. The wandering path will have a longer distance as compared to the straight line.