Question

An object has moved through a distance. Can have 0 displacement? If yes, support your answer with an example.

Answer 1

Hint: The distance of the moving object is the path covered by the object while moving. The change in the initial and the final position of the object when it is moved is known as the displacement.

Complete answer:
When the object is moving from one point to another point. The path covered by the objects cis known as the distance of the object. Distance of the object is the scalar quantity. So, it has only magnitude. It doesn’t have direction for movement.
Another quantity of the moving object apart from distance is known as the displacement of the object. The displacement is the distance between the initial and the final position of the object. The displacement is the vector quantity. So, it requires magnitude as well as the direction.

Example:

Consider an object moving in the circular path. The object starts from point A and reaches the same point.
The distance of the object is given as:
$s = 2 \pi r$
Where, r is the radius of the circle.

The displacement of the object is the distance from the initial position and the final position of the object. In circular motion, the initial and the final position of the object are the same. So, the displacement of the object is zero.

Note:
The distance of the moving object can never be zero. Distance can be very small, but not zero.
The displacement of the object can be zero because it is the vector quantity. So, the direction is also required for its description. If the particle is moving 2 m up and then 2 m down. Their direction is opposite. Thus, the displacement becomes zero.