Suppose that an object travels from one point in space to another. Make a comparison between the displacement and the distance traveled.
A) The displacement is either greater than or equal to the distance traveled.
B) The displacement is always equal to the distance traveled.
C) The displacement is either less than or equal to the distance traveled.
D) The displacement can be either greater than, smaller than, or equal to the distance traveled.
E) If the displacement is equal to zero, then the distance traveled will also equal zero.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The displacement is the straight-line distance between the starting and ending points of an object's motion. It is the shortest distance between the two points. On the other hand, the distance traveled is the actual path length taken by the object to move from the starting point to the ending point, which can be greater than or equal to the displacement depending on the path taken. Therefore, the displacement can be no greater than the distance traveled but can be equal to it if the object moves in a straight line, and it can be less than the distance traveled if the object moves along a curved path. Hence, the best choice is (C).

Suppose That an Object Travels from One Point in Space