Question

Which of the following is true for displacement?

• A. It can not be zero if an object has travelled some distance.
• B. Its magnitude is always equal or greater than the distance travelled by an object.
• C. It is a scalar quantity.
• D. Its magnitude is equal to or less than the distance travelled by an object.

Answer 1

The correct option is D Its magnitude is equal to or less than the distance travelled by an object.

Displacement can be zero, for example when a person moves from an initial point and comes back to the starting point, his displacement is zero. The magnitude of displacement can be equal to or less than the distance travelled, it cannot be greater than the distance travelled. Displacement is the shortest distance between the initial and the final position of the moving object in a given time interval in the direction from the initial to the final position of the object. Hence, displacement depends on the direction of motion, thus, it is a vector quantity.