Question

Define distance, displacement, speed, velocity and acceleration.

Answer 1

Distance:

1. It is the length of the actual path traveled by a particle in motion.
2. Unit of distance is $cm$ in centimeter–gram–second system and $m$ in meter-kilogram-second system of the unit.
3. It is a scalar quantity.

Displacement:

1. It is the shortest distance between the initial and final position of a body.
2. It is a vector quantity.
3. Unit of displacement is $cm$ in centimeter–gram–second system and $m$ in meter-kilogram-second system of the unit.

Speed:

1. It is defined as the rate at which a particle covers a distance along a given path.
2. It is given by the ratio of distance traveled to the time taken.
3. It is a scalar quantity.
4. Unit of displacement is $cm{s}^{-1}$ in centimetre–gram–second system and $m{s}^{-1}$ in meter-kilogram-second system of the unit.

Velocity:

1. It is the displacement of the body in unit time or rate of displacement.
2. It is a vector quantity.
3. Unit of velocity is $cm{s}^{-1}$ in centimetre–gram–second system and $m{s}^{-1}$ in meter-kilogram-second system of the unit.

Acceleration:

1. A particle moving with variable velocity is said to possess acceleration.
2. It is defined as the rate of change in velocity.
3. It is a vector quantity.
4. Unit of velocity is $cm{s}^{-1}$ in centimetre–gram–second system and $m{s}^{-1}$ in meter-kilogram-second system of the unit.