Distance
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Displacement
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It is defined as the length of the actual path travelled by an object in motion.
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It is defined as the shortest distance between the starting and finishing points.
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It is a scalar quantity.
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It is a vector quantity.
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The values of distance are always
positive. |
The values of displacement can be positive, negative or zero.
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Uniform motion | Non-uniform motion |
When an object covers equal distance in equal time interval, it is said to be in uniform motion. | When an object covers unequal distance in equal time interval, it is said to be in non-uniform motion. |
The distance-time graph obtained in case of uniform motion is a straight line graph. | The distance-time graph obtained in case of non uniform motion can be of any shape depending on how the acceleration changes with time. |
eg: A car running on a straight road without any change in its speed. | eg: A car running on a road with different speeds in different interval of time. |