Distance and Displacement-FAQs

1. What is the Distance Definition?

The total length covered by the object from point one to another point is the distance covered.

2. What is the Displacement Definition?

Displacement is defined as the net difference between the length in the initial position and the final position of the object.

3. What is the Differences between Distance and Displacement?

Difference between distance and displacement,

Distance	Displacement
Distance is the total path length	It is the length between initial and final points.
Distance has no direction	Displacement has direction
Distance gives detailed info about path length	Displacement does not give detailed information about the path length.

4. Is it Possible to Have a Negative Distance?

No, distance can never be negative. Distance is always positive. However, displacement can be negative.

5. Can Displacement be Zero?

Yes, displacement can be zero when the initial position and final position of the object is equal.

6. When does the Distance and Magnitude of Displacement equal?

The distance and magnitude of displacement become equal when the motion is in a fixed direction or the motion is unidirectional.

7. What is an Example of Distance and Displacement?

• Example of the Distance is, suppose a boy moves from his house to his school which is at a distance of 5 km.
• Example of the Displacement is, suppose the boy returns from his school to his house tracing the same path then the displacement of the boy is zero.

Distance and Displacement are two crucial terms of Mechanics that may seem the same but have different meanings and definitions. Distance is a measure of “How much path is covered by an object in motion?” While Displacement is the measure of “How much path is covered by the object in a particular direction?” Hence, the major difference between distance and displacement is that distance is a scalar quantity and displacement is a vector quantity. Despite this difference, both quantities have some similarities. The unit of distance and displacement is meter (m).

In this article, we will learn about Distance Definition in Physics, Displacement Definition in physics, Distance Formula, Displacement Formula, Distance and Displacement Examples, and others in detail.