A body is moving with constant speed, in a circle of radius . The body completes one revolution in . At the end of the ****rd second, the displacement of the body (in ) from its starting point is:
- A
- B
- C
- D
A body is moving with constant speed, in a circle of radius . The body completes one revolution in . At the end of the ****rd second, the displacement of the body (in ) from its starting point is:
Correct answer:D
Standard Method
Given: A body moves with constant speed in a circle of radius and time period .
Find: The displacement from the starting point at the end of .

From the given figure above, speed is constant, radius is , and . At the end of ****rd second, the particle will be at starting from .
The displacement is the straight-line distance from to .
Therefore, the displacement is . The correct option is D. The solution labels it as B, but the computed value matches option D in the given options.
Geometric Derivation
Given: Radius of the circle is , speed is constant, and one complete revolution takes .
Find: Displacement after .

Total time of is evenly distributed over the circular path, so each quarter of the circle takes .
So, at the end of the ****rd second, the body is at .
Now is a right-angled triangle with
Applying Pythagoras theorem,
Therefore, at the end of the ****rd second, the displacement of the body from its starting point is .
Confusing distance travelled with displacement. After , the body has covered three-quarter circumference, but the question asks for the straight-line distance from the initial point to the final point. Use chord length, not arc length.
Assuming the body returns close to the starting point after of a revolution. In fact, after the particle is at point , not near . Mark the quarter positions carefully using the time period.
Using radius as the displacement directly. The displacement from to is the chord , which is longer than the radius. Apply geometry to the right triangle formed by the radii.
Get unlimited AI-adaptive practice, mastery tracking, and an AI tutor that explains every step — free to start.