Question

A particle moves on a circular path of radius R as shown in the figure. The distance travelled and displacement of the particle from point A to point C respectively are

Answer 1

Distance covered by an object is the length of the actual path covered irrespective of the direction of motion.

Displacement is the shortest distance measured from the initial to the final position of the object. This means it is the length of a straight line joining the initial and final positions.

Distance = Length of arc ABC = πr

Here, the radius is OA. The shortest path of the particle from A to C is equal to R+R i.e. 2R. It implies that displacement is 2R.