Distance and Displacement - UNSOLVED PRACTICE SET
Chapter: Motion | Topic: Distance and Displacement
DISTANCE AND DISPLACEMENT - UNSOLVED PRACTICE SET
Topic: Distance and Displacement
Multiple Choice Questions
Q1. A person walks 6 m East and then 8 m North. The displacement from the starting point is:
- 14 m
- 2 m
- 10 m
- 100 m
Q2. Which of the following is a vector quantity?
- Distance
- Speed
- Displacement
- Time
Q3. Rohan walks 4 km to school and returns home by the same path. His total displacement is:
- 8 km
- 4 km
- 0 km
- 2 km
Q4. The SI unit of displacement is:
- km
- cm
- m
- m/s
Q5. Displacement can be:
- Only positive
- Only negative
- Zero or positive or negative
- Always equal to distance
Q6. An object moves along a circular path and returns to the starting point. Which statement is correct?
- Distance = Displacement
- Distance > Displacement
- Displacement > Distance
- Both are zero
Short Answer Questions
Q7. Define distance and displacement. State one key difference between them.
Q8. A girl walks 3 m East, then 4 m North. Draw a rough sketch and calculate her displacement from the starting point. Mention the direction as well.
Q9. Is displacement a scalar or a vector quantity? Why is it important to mention both magnitude and direction when stating a displacement?
Q10. Can the magnitude of displacement ever be greater than the distance travelled? Can it be equal to distance? Explain with one example each.
Q11. A bus travels from Delhi to Agra (200 km) and then from Agra to Mathura (60 km back towards Delhi). What is
(a) the total distance and
(b) the displacement of the bus from Delhi?
Q12. Explain why, for a body moving in a straight line without changing direction, distance and displacement are numerically equal.
Long Answer Questions
Q13. Sita walks from her house (point A) to the market (point B), which is 500 m due East. She then walks from the market to a park (point C), which is 1200 m due North. She then returns directly from the park back to her house.
(a) Draw the path on a coordinate sketch.
(b) Calculate the total distance she walked.
(c) Calculate her displacement after reaching the park (from house).
(d) Calculate her displacement after she returns home.
(e) What is the total distance of her round trip?
Q14. Explain the difference between distance and displacement using a real-life journey in an Indian city of your choice. Your explanation must include:
(a) a clear scenario with at least three stops,
(b) calculation of total distance,
(c) calculation of net displacement, and
(d) a conclusion about when the two are equal and when they differ.
Q15. An ant starts at one corner of a square table of side 1 m and walks along the edges.
(a) What is the distance and displacement after walking 1 side?
(b) After 2 sides (adjacent)?
(c) After 3 sides?
(d) After completing the full square (4 sides)?
Present your answers in a small table with columns: 'Sides Walked', 'Distance', 'Displacement Magnitude'.
Numerical / Application-Based Problems
Q16. A delivery boy on a bicycle starts from point O. He travels 9 m South, then 12 m East, then 9 m North.
(a) Draw the complete path.
(b) Calculate the total distance.
(c) Calculate the final displacement from O (magnitude and direction).
Q17. Arjun runs laps on a rectangular ground that is 80 m long and 60 m wide. He starts at one corner. Find:
(a) Distance and displacement after 1 complete lap.
(b) Distance and displacement after half a lap (reaching the diagonally opposite corner).
(c) How many laps must he run so that the total distance is exactly 1 km?
Q18. A ball is thrown straight up from the ground to a height of 20 m and falls back to the ground.
(a) What is the total distance travelled by the ball?
(b) What is the displacement of the ball when it returns to the ground?
(c) At the highest point, what is the displacement from the starting point?
(d) Can the displacement ever be greater than 20 m in this situation? Explain.