A student wishes to understand why choosing a different reference point changes the…
PHYSICS · Subjective · CBSE · Physics · Motion in a Plane · Motion in a Plane
Problem
A student wishes to understand why choosing a different reference point changes the numerical value of an object’s position but does not change the actual motion of the object.
Consider the straight road between a school canteen (C) and the main school gate (G). The canteen is exactly 120m west of the gate.
(i) Define the term "reference point".
(ii) If the gate G is taken as the origin, state the position of the canteen C.
(iii) The student now takes the sports room S, situated 40m east of the gate, as the new origin. Determine the position of the canteen C with respect to S.
(iv) Explain, without using any calculations, whether the distance a student walks from the canteen to the gate depends on which of the two points (G or S) is chosen as origin. Give a clear reason for your answer.