A person moves along a circular path by a distance equal to half the c

A person moves along a circular path by a distance equal to half the circumference in a given time. The ratio of his average speed to his average velocity is :

0.5
0.5π
0.75π
1.0
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CAPF – 2009
The correct option is B.
Let the circular path have radius R. The circumference is $C = 2\pi R$.
The distance covered by the person is half the circumference, $d = \frac{1}{2} C = \pi R$.
Let the time taken be $t$.
Average speed is defined as the total distance traveled divided by the total time taken.
Average speed = $\frac{d}{t} = \frac{\pi R}{t}$.

The person moves along a circular path by a distance equal to half the circumference. This means the person starts at one point on the circle and ends at the diametrically opposite point.
Let the starting point be A and the ending point be B, where AB is a diameter of the circle.
The displacement is the shortest straight-line distance from the initial position to the final position. In this case, the displacement is the length of the diameter.
Displacement = $2R$.

Average velocity is defined as the total displacement divided by the total time taken.
Average velocity = $\frac{\text{Displacement}}{t} = \frac{2R}{t}$.

The ratio of average speed to average velocity is:
Ratio = $\frac{\text{Average speed}}{\text{Average velocity}} = \frac{\pi R / t}{2R / t} = \frac{\pi R}{t} \times \frac{t}{2R} = \frac{\pi}{2}$.
The value $\frac{\pi}{2}$ is equivalent to $0.5\pi$.

This question highlights the difference between speed (scalar, based on distance) and velocity (vector, based on displacement). Distance is the path length, while displacement is the change in position vector. For motion along a curved path, the distance is generally greater than the magnitude of the displacement. For a half circle, the distance is $\pi R$ and the displacement magnitude is $2R$.
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