Distance & Displacement — Homi Bhabha Class 9 Physics MCQs with Solutions
Free Homi Bhabha Class 9 Physics Distance & Displacement MCQs with step-by-step solutions (10 questions). Part of Motion & Kinematics. Practise online on Prepizo — no login needed.
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Questions with solutions
Q1 — Distance & Displacement · medium · numerical
A body moves 4 m towards the north and then 3 m towards the east. The distance and displacement respectively are:
A. 1 m and 5 m
B. 7 m and 5 m ✓ Correct
C. 7 m and 7 m
D. 5 m and 7 m
Solution: Distance $= 4 + 3 = 7$ m; displacement $= \sqrt{4^2 + 3^2} = 5$ m.
Q2 — Distance & Displacement · hard · numerical
An athlete completes exactly one full round of a circular track of radius 7 m. His displacement is:
A. 0 m ✓ Correct
B. 7 m
C. 14 m
D. 44 m
Solution: After one complete round he returns to the start, so displacement is 0 (the distance covered is $2\pi r = 44$ m).
Q3 — Distance & Displacement · hard · numerical
A runner covers half a round of a circular track of diameter 14 m. His displacement is (take $\pi = 22/7$):
A. 44 m
B. 14 m ✓ Correct
C. 7 m
D. 22 m
Solution: Half a round ends at the diametrically opposite point, so displacement = diameter = 14 m (distance $= \pi r = 22$ m).
Q4 — Distance & Displacement · medium · numerical
A car travels 5 km due east and then returns 5 km due west to its starting point. Its total distance and displacement are:
A. 0 km and 10 km
B. 10 km and 10 km
C. 10 km and 0 km ✓ Correct
D. 5 km and 5 km
Solution: Distance is the whole path $= 10$ km; since it returns to start, displacement $= 0$.
Q5 — Distance & Displacement · medium · theory
The magnitude of displacement is equal to the distance travelled only when the body moves:
A. and returns to its starting point
B. along a circular path
C. along a straight line without changing direction ✓ Correct
D. along any curved path
Solution: Only in straight-line motion without reversing does the path length equal the straight-line displacement.
Q6 — Distance & Displacement · medium · theory
Assertion (A): The displacement of a moving body can be zero even when the distance covered is not zero. Reason (R): Displacement is the shortest distance between the initial and final positions.
A. Both A and R are true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A
B. A is false but R is true
C. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A ✓ Correct
D. A is true but R is false
Solution: If a body returns to its start, displacement is zero though distance is not — because displacement is the shortest (straight-line) separation, which R correctly explains.
Q7 — Distance & Displacement · easy · theory
The displacement of a moving body can be:
A. Always greater than the distance
B. Zero even when the distance is not zero ✓ Correct
C. Always positive
D. Never zero
Solution: If a body returns to its starting point, its displacement is zero although the distance travelled is not zero. Displacement can be positive, negative or zero.
Q8 — Distance & Displacement · medium · numerical
A boy walks 3 m towards the east and then 4 m towards the north. What is the magnitude of his displacement from the starting point?
A. 1 m
B. 12 m
C. 5 m ✓ Correct
D. 7 m
Solution: Displacement is the straight line from start to finish. Since east and north are at right angles, magnitude = square root of (3 squared + 4 squared) = square root of (9 + 16) = square root of 25 = 5 m. The 7 m is the total distance.
Q9 — Distance & Displacement · medium · numerical
A person walks exactly once around a circular track of radius 7 m and returns to the start. Taking pi as 22/7, which statement is true?
A. Distance = 0 and displacement = 44 m
B. Distance = 44 m and displacement = 14 m
C. Distance = 44 m and displacement = 0 ✓ Correct
D. Distance = displacement = 44 m
Solution: One full round covers a distance equal to the circumference = 2 x (22/7) x 7 = 44 m. But the person ends where they began, so the displacement is zero.
Q10 — Distance & Displacement · hard · numerical
A car travels 6 km north, then 8 km east, then 6 km south. What is the magnitude of its displacement from the start?
A. 14 km
B. 20 km
C. 8 km ✓ Correct
D. 10 km
Solution: The 6 km north and 6 km south cancel out, leaving only 8 km east. So the displacement is 8 km. The total distance travelled is 20 km, which is the common wrong answer.