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A learner walks a long curved path from home to school. Which quantity depends only on the start point and the end point?
AThe displacement
BThe distance walked
CThe average speed
DThe path length
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. The displacement
1. Distance is the whole length of the path that was actually walked, bends included.
2. Displacement does not depend on the path travelled, but only on the initial and final positions.
3. So a winding route adds to the distance while leaving the displacement unchanged.
_Source: Siyavula Physical Sciences Grade 10 (Everything Science, CC BY 4.0), Chapter 21: Motion in one dimension_
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