Question

if displacement of body is zero does it indicates that distance travelled also zero?​

Answer 1

Answer:

Nope, if a car traveled in a straight path, the displacement would be zero, but would the distance be zero? Nope because its travelling, not in a same position.

Answer 2

STATEMENT:

• If displacement of body is zero does it indicates that distance travelled also zero?

ANSWER:

• This statement is absolutely wrong.

EXPLANATION:

• Here given displacement is zero.

• But the distance may or may not be zero.

DEFINITION:

DISTANCE:

• The total pathlength traversed by a body is called distance.

• It is a scalar quantity.

• As it is a scalar, It has only magnitude and no direction.

DISPLACEMEMT:

• The shortest distance between two points is called displacement.

• It is a vector quantity.

• As it is a vector, It has both magnitude and direction.

EXAMPLE 1:

Let us say a body is moving along a circular path.

Say it travel some 10 rounds.

Let us assumes that the permieter of that circular path as 10 m.

Now distance travelled = 10 × 10

Distance travelled = 100 m

But displacement = 0 [ As starting and ending points are the same ]

EXAMPLE 2:

Let us now consider a straight line AB.

Say the length of AB is 2 m.

Again we consider a body travelling from A to B and again from B to A.

Distance travelled = 2 + 2 = 4 m

Displacement from A to B = 2 m

Displacement from B to A = - 2 m [ BA is the opposite direction of AB ]

Net displacement = 2 - 2 = 0

EXAMPLE 3:

We saw two cases where displacement is zero, but distance is non - zero. Now we will see the case where both distance and displacement are zero.

This is possible only when the body is at rest.

Hence when the body is at rest, both distance and displacement will be zero.

NOTE 1: Another case ie. Displacement is non-zero but distance is zero is not possible as if displacement is non-zero, the body should have covered some distance also.

NOTE 2: Negative distance is not possible as in case of displacement as distance is a scalar.

CONCLUSION: DISTANCE OF A BODY CANNOT BE DETERMINED BY ITS DISPLACEMENT.