Answer:
300 meters south
Explanation:
Displacement is a vector that connects the initial position with the final position of the motion.
In order to find the net displacement, we must add the distance covered in each part of the motion, considering the proper sign. We take the following convention:
North --> +
South --> -
So, John made the following trips:
Home --> school: 250 m north = +250
School --> home: 250 m south = -250
Home --> school: 250 m north = +250 m
School --> friend's house: 550 m south = -550 m
So, the net displacement is
d = +250 -250 +250 -550 = -300
So, 300 m south.