NIOS Class 10 Activity 9.2 Motion and Its Description

In this activity, we will study the difference between displacement and distance traveled by an object from point A and B.

 

NIOS Class 10 Science and Technology Project File

This activity is based on the NIOS Class 10 science and technology chapter 9- Motion and its description.

Aim of the activity

To observe and compare the distance and displacement

Materials Required

    1. A scale   

    2. Pencil

    3. Notebook

Procedure

We draw three different paths between points A and B ie. One straight, one slightly curved, and one angled path.

 Now we measure the length of each path using a ruler or scale and note the distances in the notebook.

We measure the straight line from A to B, which represents the displacement.

Observation

Path	Distance travelled	Displacement
Path 1 (straight)	10 cm	10 cm
Path 2 (curved line)	13 cm	10 cm
Path 3(angled path )	15 cm	10 cm

(Note: These values are only examples)

Explanation

When the object moves from point A to point B, the total length of the path it takes is called the distance. So we have three different values of distance for each path.

The displacement is the shortest path, a straight line from the start point to the end point. Displacement remains the same in all three cases.

Conclusion

We can conclude that:

    1.  Distance is the total path covered; it depends on the path taken.

    2. Displacement is the shortest straight line from start to end.

    3. Displacement is always equal to or less than the distance.

Frequently Asked Questions

    1. What is the difference between distance and displacement?

Answer – Distance is the total length of the path, and displacement is the shortest straight line between two points.

    2. Can displacement be more than distance?

Answer- No, displacement cannot be more than the distance.

    3. Why is displacement the same in all three paths in the diagram?

Answer – Because displacement depends only on the start and end points.

    4. What type of quantity is displacement?

Answer- Displacement is a vector quantity because it has both magnitude and direction.

    5. Can displacement be zero?

Answer – Yes