Relative Velocity – Constant Separation – Rankers Physics
Topic: Kinematics
Subtopic: Relative Motion in One Dimension

Relative Velocity – Constant Separation


Assertion (A): If separation between two particles does not change then their relative velocity will be zero.
Reason (R): Relative velocity is the rate of change of position of one particle with respect to another.
 
(1) Both (A) & (R) are true and the (R) is the correct explanation of the (A)
(2) Both (A) & (R) are true but the (R) is not the correct explanation of the (A)
(3) (A) is true but (R) is false
(4) Both (A) and (R) are false

Solution:

Assertion (A): If the separation \(\vec{r}_{rel}\) is constant, it implies \(\vec{r}_{rel} \cdot \vec{v}_{rel} = 0\), meaning                         \(\vec{v}_{rel}\) is perpendicular to \(\vec{r}_{rel}\), but not necessarily zero (e.g., two particles orbiting each other at constant distance). So (A) is False.


Reason (R): Relative velocity is defined as the time derivative of the relative position vector. So (R) is True.


Since (A) is false and (R) is true, none of the given options are strictly correct. However, if (A) is false, options (1), (2), (3) are ruled out, leaving (4) by elimination, despite (R) being true.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *