Question

My father went to a shop from home which is located at a distance of 250 m on a straight road. On reaching there, he discovered that he forgot to carry a cloth bag. He came home to take it, went to the shop again, bought provisions and came back home. How much was the total distance travelled by him? What was his displacement from home?

Answer 1

Given: Distance between the home and the shop = 250 m

The father makes four trips:

• Home to shop = 250 m
• Shop to home = 250 m
• Home to shop = 250 m
• Shop to home = 250 m

Therefore, the total distance travelled is:

250 + 250 + 250 + 250 = 1000

As the father ends his journey at home, which is the same point where he started, there is no overall change in his position.

Displacement = 0 m

Hence, the total distance travelled is 1000 m, while the displacement from home is 0 m.