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Distance is the length of the path taken by an object whereas displacement is the simply the distance between where the object started and where it ended up. For example, lets say you drive a car. You drive it 5 miles east and then 3 miles west.
A position is a vector because it has both a magnitude and a direction: it is some distance from a zero point (the point we call the origin) in a particular direction. With one-dimensional motion, we can define a straight line along which the object moves. Let’s call this the x-axis, and
Distance is a scalar quantity that refers to "how much ground an object has covered" during its motion. Displacement is a vector quantity that refers to "how far out of place an object is"; it is the object's overall change in position.
1. Distance is the actual length of the path travelled by the particle in a given interval of time. Displacement is the shortest distance between the initial position and the final position of the moving particle in a particular direction. 2. Distance travelled by the particle in a given interval of time is always positive.
Distance is a scalar measure of the interval between two locations measured along the actual path connecting them. Displacement is a vector measure of the interval between two locations measured along the shortest path connecting them.
Use distance to describe the total path between starting and ending points, and use displacement to describe the shortest path between starting and ending points. Measurement from your initial position to your final position is distance traveled, and the measurement of the total length of your path from the starting position to the final ...
Distance vs. Displacement. As an object moves, its location undergoes change. There are two quantities that are used to describe the changing location. One quantity - distance - accumulates the amount of total change of location over the course of a motion. Distance is the amount of ground that is covered.
