2.2 Distance & Displacement

Displacement is the shortest distance from the initial to the final position of an object, along with the direction.

Distance is the total path length traveled, while displacement is the straight line distance between the starting and ending points.

A vector is a quantity that has both magnitude and direction, such as displacement.

18 meters north.

Use the Pythagorean theorem: Resultant Displacement = √(x² + y²), where x and y are the distances in each direction.

7 km.

11 meters.

It means that displacement is not just about how far an object has moved, but also in which direction it has moved.

8 km.

Yes, if an object returns to its starting point, its displacement is zero, even if it has traveled a distance.