What is the difference between distance and displacement?

a
Distance is measured in feet. Displacement is measured in meters
b
Distance is a measure of length of travel. Displacement is the measure of the time it takes to move that length
c
Distance is the length of travel. Displacement is the straight line distance between the starting point and the ending point
d
Distance is the difference between how quickly you move between two points. Displacement is the average of that motion

1 answer

The correct answer is:

c Distance is the length of travel. Displacement is the straight line distance between the starting point and the ending point.

To elaborate, distance is a scalar quantity representing how much ground an object has covered during its motion, regardless of the direction. Displacement, on the other hand, is a vector quantity that refers to the shortest straight line distance from the initial position to the final position, along with the direction of that line.