alleryStart learning →What does a car's odometer actually record over a trip?
AThe total distance it travelled
BThe net displacement from start
CThe average velocity of the trip
DThe instantaneous speed each moment
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. The total distance it travelled
1. An odometer keeps a running total as the wheels turn, adding up every meter travelled.
2. It never subtracts distance for a return trip, so it cannot represent displacement.
3. The running total it shows is the total distance travelled.
_Source: OpenStax Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 2 "Motion in One Dimension", section 2.1 Relative Motion, Distance, and Displacement_
Keep practising Motion in One Dimension
Browse all Motion in One Dimension questions for NCEA Level 1, or explore more Physics topics.
Related questions
What physical quantity does the area under a velocity versus time graph represent?What is the slope of a straight-line graph of position versus time?A car travels with an average speed of 23 m/s for 82 s. Which displacement could NOT have A biker rides west for 50 miles from his starting position, then turns and bikes back eastA trucker drives along a straight highway for 0.25 h and ends up with a displacement of 16Cassie walks to her friend's house, 205 m away, with an average speed of 1.40 m/s. How lonA pitcher throws a baseball 18.4 m from the mound to home plate in 0.46 s. What is the balPhillip walks 428 m west from his house to school with an average velocity of 1.7 m/s west