Can you explain the difference between distance and displacement

Distance is a scalar which means it only has a length- it is the length of distance travelled along a pathDisplacement is a vector which means it has a direction and a length and is the total change in position from start to finishAn analogy would be that a person who walks a long a windy path may travel 1km in distance but the path wind in many direction so their total displacement is only 0.5km. The persons displacement is the distance and direction from the persons start to finish positions.Or a car travelling 1km north and 1km east the total distance is 2km but the displacement is 1.41km north east. This can be calculated using pythagoras theorem.

EH
Answered by Emma H. Physics tutor

3251 Views

See similar Physics GCSE tutors

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

What is convection?


A mobile phone falls to the floor. The glass screen shatters while the aluminium frame remains intact. Explain why this happens in terms of the properties of glass and aluminium.


How much force is needed to bring a car to a halt over 5 seconds - the car is moving with velocity km/hr and with a mass of 1000kg.


An electric Iron rated at 2600 W contains a steel plate, heated to a working temperature of 215°C. Room temp=18°C. Deduce whether the plate could reach its working temperature in less than 1 minute. Mass (steel plate)=890g & C (steel)=450J/kg/K


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