Which could describe the motion of an object? Check all that apply.
A)distance = 0 and displacement = 0
B)distance = 10 meters and displacement = 0
C)distance = 0 and displacement = 10 meters
D)distance = 10 meters and displacement = 10 meters
E)distance = 1 meter and displacement = 10 meters
F)distance = 10 meters and displacement = 1 meter

Respuesta :

The correct choices are:

A)distance = 0 and displacement = 0

B)distance = 10 meters and displacement = 0

D)distance = 10 meters and displacement = 10 meters

F)distance = 10 meters and displacement = 1 meter

In fact, displacement cannot be larger than distance, because distance is the total distance travelled in any direction, while displacement takes into account the direction. When the object moves only in one direction, distance and displacement are equal; however, if the motion of the object consists of several motions into more directions (like going back and forth), the distance travelled is always larger than the displacement. For this reason, choices C) and E) are wrong.