reading Distance and Displacement 2

What does distance refer to in physics?

• The total path covered by an object, regardless of its direction

• The shortest straight-line distance from the starting point to the ending point

• The direction of motion

• The speed of an object

What type of quantity is displacement?

• Scalar quantity

• Vector quantity

• Magnitude quantity

• Speed quantity

If you walk 5 meters east and then 5 meters west, what is your displacement?

• 10 meters

• 5 meters

• 0 meters

• -5 meters

Can distance ever be negative?

• Yes

• No

• Only if the direction is negative

• Only in certain conditions

What does displacement tell us about an object's motion?

• How much ground an object has covered

• The total length of the path traveled

• How far out of place an object is from its initial position

• The speed of the object