Question

what is the difference between distance and displacement? type your answer here rewatch

Explanation:

• Distance:
• It is a scalar. For example, if a person walks around a circular track of circumference \(C\) once, the distance covered is \(C\). Mathematically, if an object moves along a path \(s_1,s_2,\cdots,s_n\), the total distance \(d=\sum_{i = 1}^{n}|s_i|\).
• Displacement:
• It is a vector. If the same person starts and ends at the same point on the circular track, the displacement is \(\vec{0}\). In general, if an object moves from an initial position \(\vec{r}_i\) to a final position \(\vec{r}_f\), the displacement \(\vec{\Delta r}=\vec{r}_f-\vec{r}_i\). It only depends on the initial and final positions, not on the path taken.

Answer:

Distance is a scalar quantity representing the total path length traveled. Displacement is a vector quantity representing the straight - line change in position from the initial to the final point.