A car starts from the origin O of a straight road taken as the positive –axis
PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Mechanics and materials · Mechanics and materials
Problem
A car starts from the origin O of a straight road taken as the positive x–axis. It first reaches point A at x=+50m, then reverses and stops at point B at x=+10m. Answer the following.
(a) Calculate the distance travelled and the displacement of the car for the whole journey O→A→B.
(b) Explain why the numerical value of displacement obtained in part (a) can be positive, zero, or negative in different situations, whereas the distance travelled can never be negative.
(c) Under what specific condition along a straight line will the distance travelled by an object be equal to the magnitude of its displacement? Illustrate your answer with a short example.