Ahikers total displacement is 13 km at 35 degrees north east. if the hiker wishes to return to his starting point on a trail that goes due south and then due west, what will be the total distance he travels on his return trip? draw a diagram to show the directions and distances he travels .

18.1 km

Explanation:

The problem can be solved by resolving the vector representing the displacement into its components along the north-south and east-west directions.

Look at the figure below: the displacement is the vector that connects A (starting point) to B (ending point), while the distance covered during the return trip is the sum of the length of the two components along the north-south and east-west direction.

Using vector rules, we find the magnitude of the two components:

East-west:

North-south:

So the total distance covered during the return trip is

it is a negative acceleration