What is the difference between distance and displacement?

Distance refers to how far an object has travelled in total during its motion.

Displacement refers to the object's overall change in position/ how far an object is now, from it's initial position.

LG
Answered by Lucy G. Maths tutor

11267 Views

See similar Maths GCSE tutors

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

How do I apply the correct formulae and other methods to difficult looking questions?


3x + 2y = 6, 5x+3y=11, solve for x and y.


The distance from the Earth to the Sun is 93 million miles. Assume: it takes 365 days for the Earth to travel once around the Sun and the Earth travels in a circle with the Sun at the centre. Work out the average speed of the Earth in miles per hour.


Factorise y^2 + 7y + 6


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning