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?

1. Distance between home and shop = 250 m

Distance travelled by father:

• From home to the shop = 250 m

• From shop to home = 250 m

• From home to the shop again = 250 m

• From shop to the home after shopping = 250 m

Total distance travelled:

$$= 250 + 250 + 250 + 250$$

$$= 1000 \text{ m or } 1 \text{ km}$$

Displacement is the shortest distance between the initial and final positions.

Since father started from home and finally returned home, his initial and final positions are the same. Therefore, the displacement from home is 0 m.