What is the difference between distance and displacement?

Answer 1

Distance is a scalar quantity that refers to "how much ground an object has covered" during its motion, regardless of the path taken. It does not consider the direction of motion and only focuses on the magnitude or numerical value. For example, if you walk a total of 5 kilometers, your distance traveled is 5 kilometers.

Displacement, on the other hand, is a vector quantity that refers to the "change in position" or the difference between the initial and final positions of an object. It takes into account both the magnitude and direction of travel. Displacement is the shortest straight-line distance between the starting point and the ending point of an object's motion. For example, if you walk 5 kilometers to the east and then return back 3 kilometers to the west, your displacement is 2 kilometers to the east.