Question

Read the scenario.

A pinecone is lying on the road at a position of 0 m. Floyd kicks it to a position of 4 m west. Then, Sybil kicks it, and it comes to rest at a position of 2 m west.



Which option represents a scalar quantity from the scenario?



displacement = 2 m west


distance = 2 m


distance = 6 m west


distance = 6 m

Answer 1

distance=6m
scalar quantity shows only magnitude

Answer 2

distance = 6 m

Step-by-step explanation:

- Distance is a scalar quantity (so, only magnitude, no direction), and it is calculated as the scalar sum of all the distances travelled by an object during its motion, regardless of the direction. So, in this problem, the distance covered by the pinecone is

d = 4 m + 2 m = 6 m

- Displacement is a vector quantity (magnitude+direction), and its magnitude is calculate as the distance in a straight line between the final position and the initial position of the object. In this case, the final position is 2 m west and the initial position is 0 m, so the displacement of the pinecone is

d = 2 m west - 0 m = 2 m west

So, a scalar quantity from this scenario is

distance = 6 m