Plan the investigation
What students will do
Use the student handout to organize predictions, measurements, and explanations.
- Build the route. Draw each displacement from the previous vector’s tip, using the clue’s magnitude and compass direction.
- Check the endpoint. Calculate and add horizontal and vertical components. Compare the resulting coordinates with the treasure location.
- Find the resultant. Sketch the direct start-to-finish vector. Calculate its magnitude and direction and compare with total distance traveled.
- Reorder the clues. Predict what changes if a partner follows the same vectors in a different order. Explain the endpoint and distance.
What students will learn
- Construct and add vectors tip to tail.
- Translate compass directions into signed components.
- Distinguish total distance from resultant displacement.
Common misconception
Is displacement the total length of the route?
Displacement connects the starting and ending positions; distance adds the lengths of all route segments.