Question

What is the displacement of the rock when you throw it into the air and catch it as it returns?

A) Zero displacement
B) Positive displacement
C) Negative displacement
D) Cannot be determined without additional information

Answer 1

The displacement of the rock thrown upward and then caught as it returns is considered zero because it ends up at the same position from where it was thrown. Displacement takes into account both magnitude and direction, making it zero if the final and initial positions are the same.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question addresses the concept of displacement in the context of one-dimensional motion in physics, particularly during free fall motion. Displacement is defined by both magnitude and direction, unlike distance, which is only concerned with magnitude. When you throw a rock straight up into the air and catch it as it returns to its original launch position, the displacement of the rock is zero because it ends up at the same place from where it was thrown.

While the rock does travel a certain distance while going up and coming back down, since its final position is the same as its initial position, the overall displacement is zero. Therefore, the answer to the question is A) Zero displacement. This means that even though the distance moved by the rock is not zero, displacement considers the initial and final positions, resulting in a net displacement of zero.