Question

Sally walks 10 meters forward and then 5 meters backwards. Which statement most accurate describes the magnitude of her displacement and distance traveled?

A) Sally's displacement is 5m less than her distance traveled.


B) Sally's displacement is 10m less than her distance traveled.


C) Sally's displacement is 5m greater than her distance traveled.


D) Sally's displacement is 10m greater than her distance traveled.

Answer 1

Sally's displacement (5m forward) is 10m less than her distance traveled (15m). (B)

Answer 2

Sally's displacement is 10 m less than her distance traveled.

Step-by-step explanation:

It is given that, Sally walks 10 meters forward and then 5 meters backwards. The total path covered by a particle is called total distance covered by it and the shortest path covered by it is called its displacement.

From the attached figure, A is the initial position of Sally. Initially, he moves from A to B. It covers a distance of 10 m then he moves from B to C. So, the total distance covered by Sally is AB+BC = 15 m

While her displacement is AC i.e. 5 m

So, the correct option is (b) i.e. her displacement is 10 m less than her distance travelled.