Give an example in which the distance travelled by a particle is large...
Example of Distance Travelled Larger than Magnitude of Displacement
In physics, distance and displacement are two different concepts. Distance is the actual path travelled by an object while displacement is the change in position of the object from its initial position to final position. In some cases, the distance travelled by an object can be larger than the magnitude of its displacement.
Example:
Suppose a person walks in a straight line for 10 meters from point A to point B, then walks back to point A. The displacement of the person is zero because he ended up at his original position. However, the total distance travelled by the person is 20 meters, as he walked 10 meters from A to B and then another 10 meters back to A.
Explanation:
The displacement of an object is a vector quantity, having both magnitude and direction. In the example above, the person's displacement is zero because the distance between his initial and final position is zero. However, the distance he travelled is 20 meters because he covered a total of 20 meters in his round trip.
Distance is a scalar quantity, having only magnitude but no direction. It is the total length of the path travelled by an object in motion. In the above example, the person's distance travelled is equal to the sum of the distances he covered in going from A to B and back to A.
Therefore, the distance travelled by an object can be greater than the magnitude of its displacement if the object moves in a non-straight path or changes direction during its motion.
Conclusion:
Distance and displacement are two different concepts in physics. Distance is the actual path travelled by an object while displacement is the change in position of the object from its initial position to final position. In some cases, the distance travelled by an object can be larger than the magnitude of its displacement, as shown in the example above.