Question

Which of the following statement(s) is/are true about the displacement of an object?

• A. It is a scalar quantity.
• B. It can be greater than the distance travelled by the object.
• C. It is always less than or equal to the distance travelled by the object.
• D. It can be zero.

Answer 1

Answer: (C), (D)

It can be zero.

The displacement of an object can be zero, for example, when a person moves in a circular path, he essentially comes back to the starting point after completing one full trip, in which case, his displacement is zero.

The magnitude of displacement is always less than or equal to the distance travelled, and would never be greater. It specifies a direction of motion, and so it is a vector quantity, not a scalar.