If the displacement of a particle is zero, then distance covered by it

Options

A. Must be zero
B. Must not be zero
C. Must be unity
D. May not be zero

Answer

To solve the question, "If the displacement of a particle is zero, then what can be said about the distance covered by it?", we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding Displacement**:
- Displacement is defined as the change in position of an object. It is a vector quantity, which means it has both magnitude and direction.
- If the displacement of a particle is zero, it means that the particle has returned to its original position after moving.

2. **Understanding Distance**:
- Distance, on the other hand, is a scalar quantity that represents the total length of the path traveled by the particle, regardless of its starting and ending points.
- Distance does not take direction into account; it only considers how much ground has been covered.

3. **Analyzing the Scenario**:
- Consider a particle that starts at point A, moves to point B, and then returns back to point A.
- In this case, the initial and final positions are the same, resulting in a displacement of zero.

4. **Calculating Distance**:
- While the displacement is zero, the particle has traveled from A to B and back to A.
- The total distance covered would be the length of the path from A to B plus the length of the path from B back to A.

5. **Conclusion**:
- Therefore, even though the displacement is zero, the distance covered by the particle is not zero.
- The distance can be any positive value depending on how far the particle traveled before returning to its starting point.

### Final Answer:
- The distance covered by the particle must not be zero.