Distance and Displacement

EXERCISE-1
1) Displacement is a ________________ [ ]
1) Vector quantity 2) Scalar quantity
3) Either vector quantity or scalar quantity
4) Neither vector quantity nor scalar quantity

*2) A player hits a baseball at some angle. The ball goes high up in space. The player runs
and catches the ball before it hits the ground. Which of the two has greater
displacement ?

1) the player 2) the ball

3) data in sufficient 4) both have same displacement

3) A ball is thrown up with a certain velocity. It attains a height of 40m and comes back
to the thrower. Then the [ ]

1) total distance covered is 40m 2) magnitude of displacement is 80m

3) displacement is zero 4) total distance covered is zero

4) Assertion : The numerical ratio of displacement to distance is equal to one or less

than one.

Reason : Displacement is a vector quantity and distance is a scalar quantity.[ ]

1) assertion and reason are true and the reason is correct explanation of the assertion.

2) assertion and reason are true, but reason is not correct explanation of the assertion.

3) assertion is true, but the reason is false.

4) assertion is false, but the reason is true.

*5) Statement - I : Displacement of a body may be zero even when distance travelled by
it is not zero.
Statement - II : Displacement of a body cannot be zero even when distance travelled
by it is not zero. [ ]
1) Statement I and II are true 2) Statement I is true and II are false
3) Statement I is false and II are true 4) Statement I and II are false

6) Pick out the false statement from the following

1) displacement is a vector quantity and hence direction is important

2) displacement can be both positive and negative

3) distance is always positive. It never decreases with time

4) distance can be negative

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 EXCERCISE-2

*1. A cyclist moves from a certain point X and completes one revolution around a circular
path of radius ‘r’. The distance travelled and magnitude of displacement of the cyclist
are respectively [ ]

1) 2r ,  r 2) , 2 3) 2  r, zero 4) r, 2r
2
2. In the above problem of the cyclist reaches exactly the other side of the point X (i.e.
diametrically opposite point to X). Then the distance travelled and magnitude of
displacement of cyclist are respectively [ ]
r
1)  r , 2r 2) , 2 3) 2  r, zero 4) r, 2r
2
*3. Considering the above problem if the cyclist reaches a point ‘Z’ as shown in the
figure,
Z

X
O r

then the distance travelled and magnitude of displacement of the cyclist are
respectively
r r r
1) , 2r 2) , 4r 3) , 2r 4) 2  r, zero
2 4 2
4) A player completes a circular path of radius ‘r’ in 40s. At the end of 2 minutes 20
seconds, displacement will be [ ]
1) 2r 2) 2 r 3) 7r 4) Zero
5) A man walks 8m towards East and then 6m towards north. His displacement is
_________________ [ ]
1) 10 m N – E 2) 14 m S – E 3) 2 m S – W 4) Zero
6) A man has to go 50m due north, 40m due east and 20m due south to reach a field.
a) What distance he has to walk to reach the field ?
b) What is his displacement from his house to the field ?
1) 110m, 20 m NE 2) 100m, 50 m NE 3) 110m, 50 m NE 4) 100m, 100 m NE
7) A particle starts from the origin, goes along the X-axis to the point (20m, 0) and then
returns along the same line to the point (–20m, 0). Find the distance and
displacement of the particle during the trip.
1) 80m, 20m in the negative direction 2) –20m, 50m in the negative direction
3) 60m, 20m in the negative direction 4) –20m, 80m in the negative direction

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8) A spy report about a suspected car reads as follows. “The car moved 2.00 km
towards east, made a perpendicular left turn, ran for 500m, made a perpendicular
right turn, ran for 4.00 km and stopped”. Find the displacement of the car.
1) 5 km, tan –1 (1) 2) 6.02 km, tan–1(1/12) 3) 5 km, tan–1(1/6) 4) 10 km, tan–1(1/4)
*9) A carrom board (4ft × 4ft square) has the queen at the centre. The queen, hit by the
striker moves to the front edge, rebounds and goes in the hole being the striking line.
The magnitude of displacement of the queen from the centre to the front edge is
2 4 5
1) 10 ft 2) 10 ft 3) 2 2 ft 4) 10 ft
3 3 3
10) In the above problem (i) find the magnitude of the displacement of the queen from
the front edge to the hole and (ii) from the centre to the hole
2 4
1) (i) 10 ft (ii) 2 ft 2) (i) 10 ft (ii) 2 2 ft
3 3
2 5
3) (i) 2 2 ft (ii) 10 ft 4) (i) 10 ft (ii) 2 2 ft
3 3
*11) A mosquito net over a 7 ft × 4 ft bed is 3 ft high. The net has a hole at one corner of the
bed through which a mosquito enters the net. It flies and sits at the diagonally opposite
upper corner of the net. The magnitude of the displacement of the mosquito is

1) 7 ft 2) 7 ft 3) 3 ft 4) 74 ft
12) In the above problem find the magnitude of the displacement of the mosquito. Taking
the hole as the origin, the length of the bed as the X–axis, its width as the Y–axis,
and vertically up as the Z–axis, write the components of the displacement vector.
1) 4 ft, 3 ft, 2 ft 2) 5 ft, 3 ft, 2 ft 3) 7 ft, 4 ft, 3 ft 4) 7 ft, 5 ft, 3 ft
*13) A body covers an arc of a circle of radius ‘r’, subtending an angle of 120° at the centre
of the circle. The magnitude of the displacement of the body is

1) r 3 2) r 2 3) 2r 4) 3r
[Hint : Any line passing through the centre of the circle bisects the chord of the circle]

*14) A man travels 30m due north, 20m due east and 30 2 m due south west. The
displacement of man is

1) 10m west 2) 10m west 3) 20m west 4) 20 2 m west

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