Statement

difficulty

Answer if the following statements are true or false:

a) Distance traveled only depends on the starting and final positions without consideration of the trajectory.
b) Distance traveled is always greater or equal than the magnitude of the displacement vector.
c) Distance traveled it is a vector.
d) As time passes, a body in motion always increases its displacement.


Solution

a) False

Distance traveled always depends on the trajectory a body in motion follows. The displacement vector does NOT depend on the trajectory and it only depends on the initial and final position.

b) True

c) False

Distance traveled is a scalar magnitude, whereas the displacement vector is a vector magnitude.

d) False

For example, think on a roller coaster. From the moment you climb on the roller coaster to the moment you get off, your displacement would be zero, since you are at the same spot where you started your adventure, nonetheless, you would have traveled all the distance represented by the tracks.

We haven't found any remarkable formula in this exercise.