Distance And Displacement

The total length of the path traveled by an object, regardless of direction.

Distance

The total length of the path traveled by an object, regardless of direction measured in scalar quantity

Displacement

The shortest straight line distance from the initial position to the final position of an object, along with the direction. Vector Quantity

Difference between Distance and Displacement

Distance is a scalar quantity (only magnitude), while displacement is a vector quantity (magnitude and direction).

Example of Distance

If a person walks 3 km north and then 4 km south, the distance traveled is 7 km.

Example of Displacement

If the same person walks 3 km north and then 4 km south, the displacement is 1 km south.