What is the difference between distance and displacement?
Difference between distance and displacement:Distance :1. distance travelled by a body is defined as the actual length of the path travelled by the body irrespective of its drection of motion.2. Distance is a scalar quantity.3. Distance is always taken as positive.4. distance travelled by a body changes according to the path of the body.Displacement :1. Displacement of a body is define as the shortest distance from initial to final position of the body.2. Displacement is a vector quantily.3. displacement can be positive, negative or zero.4.Displacement of body does not depend on its path, but depends only on its initial and dinal positions.
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What is the difference between distance and displacement?
Distance vs Displacement
Distance and displacement are two concepts in physics that are often confused but have distinct meanings and implications.
Distance:
- Distance is the total length of the path traveled by an object. It is a scalar quantity, meaning it has magnitude but no direction.
- It is always positive or zero, as it represents the actual length traveled, regardless of direction.
- For example, if you walk 5 meters north and then 3 meters east, your total distance traveled would be 8 meters.
Displacement:
- Displacement is the change in position of an object. It is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction.
- It can be positive, negative, or zero, depending on the direction of movement.
- Using the same example as above, if you walk 5 meters north and then 3 meters east, your displacement would be the straight-line distance from the starting point to the ending point, which is 5 meters northeast.
Main Differences:
- The main difference between distance and displacement is that distance is the actual path length traveled, while displacement is the change in position from the starting point to the ending point.
- Distance is always positive and adds up along the path traveled, while displacement can be positive, negative, or zero, depending on the direction of movement.
Understanding the distinction between distance and displacement is crucial in physics and helps in accurately describing the motion of objects and analyzing their positions in space.
What is the difference between distance and displacement?
🔹Distance is actual path followed by the object from initial point to final point......🔸while displacement is the shortest straight distance from initial point to final point..... 🔹Distance has only magnitude so it is a scalar quantity... 🔸Displacement has both magnitude and direction So it is Vector quantity...🔲 Distance may be equal to displacement or greater than it... but distance is never less than that ofdisplacement........🔷 Distance is always positive bcoz it is scalar..... 🔶Displacement may be positive or negative depending on its direction....
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