Question

What is difference between distance and displacement. what do you mean by magnitude in this definition?

Answer 1

Distance:
1.The distance travelled by a moving body is the actual length of the path covered by the body irrespective of direction.
2.Distance is a scalar quantity.
3.Distance travelled is always positive.
4.Distance is always greater than or equal to displacement.
Displacement:
1.The displacement of a body is the shortest distance between the initial and final position of the body.
2.Displacement is a vector quantity.
3.Displacement may be positive,negative or zero.
4.Displacement is always less than or equal to the distance travelled.


A displacement measurement does not take into account what route the object took to change position, only where it started and where it ended. It is easiest to picture displacement by locating where the object started and drawing a straight arrow from this point to the point where the object stopped moving. Remember, in physics this arrow is called a vector. Its length corresponds to the magnitude, or size, of the movement, and the arrow points in the direction of travel. This makes displacement a vector quantity because it incorporates both movement, magnitude and direction .