Question

Can displacement be zero even if distance is not zero? Give one example to explain your answer.
A. Yes. For example, a car travels from point A to B and then comes back. Suppose AB=5m. In this case, distance travelled is 10m, while the displacement is zero.
B. No. For example, a car travels from point A to B and then comes back. Suppose AB=5m. In this case, displacement travelled is 10m, while the distance is zero.
C. No. For example, a car travels from point A to B and then comes back. Suppose AB=5m. In this case, displacement and the distance travelled is zero.
D. None of these

Answer 1

Hint: Distance is the total length of the path that a body travels. It is not on the path that the body takes. Displacement is the shortest distance between the final point and initial point of the body. Use these statements to find the correct option.

Complete step by step answer:
Let us first understand what the quantities distances and displacement are. Then we will be able to choose the correct option out of the given option.
Distance is the total length of the path that a body travels.
Displacement tells us about the change in the position of a body. The magnitude of the displacement of the body is the length of the line segment joining the initial position and the final position of the body.
Suppose you go from city A to city B. The distance travelled by you is the length of the route by which you travelled. And the magnitude of your displacement is the length of the line segment that joins city A and city B.
Suppose there are two different routes to go to city B from city A. The distance that you travel will depend on the route that you take. The longer route will be of lather distance.
However, whichever path or route you take, your displacement from city A to city B will be the same. This is because displacement is the line segment joining A and B. Unless the cities A and B are fixed the line segment will also be fixed. This means that displacement is independent of the path that you take until the initial and final positions are the same.
Suppose you travel to city B and come back to city A. Then the distance you travelled is double of the distance of the route from A to B. However, the displacement will be zero because the initial and final position are the same.
Therefore, we conclude that displacement can be zero even if distance is non zero.
If a car travels from point A to B and then comes back and AB=5cm. Then the distance travelled is 10cm and displacement is zero.
Hence, the correct option is A.

Note: Distance has only magnitude and no specific direction. Hence, it is a scalar quantity.
Displacement has magnitude as well as a specific direction. Hence, it is a vector quantity. The direction of the vector is from the initial point towards the final point of the body.