Moderate

A body covers displacement of 10m towards the North and returns back to the initial point by covering 10m towards the South, its total displacement is?

Correct answer: C. 0m along North-South

  • A. 20m North
  • B. 10m South
  • C. 0m along North-South
  • D. 0m

Explanation

Displacement refers to an object's change in position. It's the vector that points from the object's initial point to the final point, regardless of the path actually taken. Displacement is always the shortest linear path traveled by the body. From the given data, we get that the body traveled a distance of 20m. Yet, when the body finished the journey, it returned to the same position it left. Thus, there is no displacement for its motion; that is, its total displacement is 0m along North-South.

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