Displacement vs. Distance


C5.28 Professional cyclists on racing track
Quantities in physics can be classified as either scalar or vector quantities. In this lesson, you explored the difference between these types of quantities through looking at the displacement of an object compared to the distance an object travels.

You also learned how distance and displacement can be calculated, both through direct information provided about an object’s motion and by interpreting a position-time graph. The steps of creating a graph in physics, and how to interpret graphs, are skills that we will use through the rest of this section of Unit C.

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Physics – Motion – Distance and Displacement Β© YouTube Don’t Memorise 


Watch this video for a great review of the difference between distance and displacement. It provides examples to reinforce this concept, as well as the difference between scalar and vector quantities.