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

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Calculate the acceleration if a force of 500N is exerted on a mass of 20kg


A coal fire is burning in the bottom of a furnace, with a chimney above it. Air moves into the furnace from an opening at the bottom and up the chimney. Describe how the process of convection causes this air movement.


Circut is arranged in a loop, with resistor (5 ohm), power source(2V), resistor (3 ohm), and another power source (3V) connected subsequently. What is the voltage on 5ohm resistor?


Explain how red-shift provides evidence for the Big Bang theory.