Chapter 3, Problem 3Q

Give several examples of an object's motion in which a great distance is traveled but the displacement is zero.

To determine

Several examples where the distance traveled is great, but the displacement is zero.

Answer to Problem 3Q

Solution:

The Earth rotation around its own axis, the earth translation around the sun.

Explanation of Solution

The distance is the length an object has traveled, and it does not matter the initial nor final place. The displacement is the length between the initial and final place. When an object travels any distance but its final position is the same as the initial, the displacement is zero.

In the tale around the world in eighty days, the main character should travel around the world and return to London. Even though he traveled a distance equal to Earth’s circumference, his displacement was zero because the initial and final position was the same.

An object placed at the equator will travel until 40,075 km after the Earth makes a full turn around its axis, it will be at the initial position and the displacement will be zero.

When earth makes a turn around the sun, it travels 930 million km and it comes back to the initial position, therefore the displacement is zero.