Question

A body is moving along a straight line path with constant velocity. At an instant of time the distance travelled by it is $s$ and its displacement is $D$, then

• A. $D<s$
• B. $D>s$
• C. $D=s$
• D. $D\le s$

Answer 1

The correct option is C

$D=s$

The explanation for the correct option(s):

Option C: $D=s$

1. In a straight-line path with constant velocity, at any instant of the time, distance covered and displacement are equal.
2. Displacement is the shortest path between the initial and final position of object. It is a vector quantity.
3. Distance is the total path travelled by an object. It is a scalar quantity.
4. Distance depend on path followed by an object where as the displacement depends on the initial and final position.
5. Distance is more or equal to the displacement but displacement can be zero, positive and negative.
6. Distance can never be zero even if displacement is zero.
7. If an object moves in a straight-line path with constant velocity then in this case, the distance travelled by an object is equal to the displacement .