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  • Distance and Displacement

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    Leon Mathaios
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    The document discusses the difference between distance and displacement. Distance is a scalar quantity that refers to how far an object has traveled but ignores direction, while displacement is a vector quantity that refers to an object's overall change in position and takes direction into account. In an example, a physics teacher walks a total distance of 12 meters but has a displacement of 0 meters because the directions of motion canceled each other out. Displacement must consider direction, unlike distance which ignores it.

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    Distance and Displacement

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    The document discusses the difference between distance and displacement. Distance is a scalar quantity that refers to how far an object has traveled but ignores direction, while displacement is a vector quantity that refers to an object's overall change in position and takes direction into account. In an example, a physics teacher walks a total distance of 12 meters but has a displacement of 0 meters because the directions of motion canceled each other out. Displacement must consider direction, unlike distance which ignores it.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    6 views1 page

    Distance and Displacement

    Uploaded by

    Leon Mathaios
    The document discusses the difference between distance and displacement. Distance is a scalar quantity that refers to how far an object has traveled but ignores direction, while displacement is a vector quantity that refers to an object's overall change in position and takes direction into account. In an example, a physics teacher walks a total distance of 12 meters but has a displacement of 0 meters because the directions of motion canceled each other out. Displacement must consider direction, unlike distance which ignores it.

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    2/16/2017 DistanceandDisplacement

    DistanceandDisplacement
    Introduction
    ScalarsandVectors
    DistanceandDisplacement
    SpeedandVelocity
    Acceleration

    Distanceanddisplacementaretwoquantitiesthatmayseemtomean
    thesamethingyethavedistinctlydifferentdefinitionsandmeanings.
    Distanceisascalarquantitythatrefersto"howmuchgroundan
    objecthascovered"duringitsmotion.
    Displacementisavectorquantitythatrefersto"howfaroutof
    placeanobjectis"itistheobject'soverallchangeinposition.
    Totestyourunderstandingofthisdistinction,considerthemotion
    depictedinthediagrambelow.Aphysicsteacherwalks4metersEast,
    2metersSouth,4metersWest,andfinally2metersNorth.

    Eventhoughthephysicsteacherhaswalkedatotaldistanceof12
    meters,herdisplacementis0meters.Duringthecourseofhermotion,
    shehas"covered12metersofground"(distance=12m).Yetwhen
    sheisfinishedwalking,sheisnot"outofplace"i.e.,thereisno
    displacementforhermotion(displacement=0m).Displacement,being
    avectorquantity,mustgiveattentiontodirection.The4meters
    cancels
    east the4meterswestandthe2meterssouth the2 cancels
    metersnorth.Vectorquantitiessuchasdisplacementare direction
    aware .Scalarquantitiessuchasdistanceareignorantofdirection.In
    determiningtheoveralldistancetraveledbythephysicsteachers,the
    variousdirectionsofmotioncanbeignored.
    Nowconsideranotherexample.Thediagrambelowshowstheposition
    ofacrosscountryskieratvarioustimes.Ateachoftheindicatedtimes,
    theskierturnsaroundandreversesthedirectionoftravel.Inother
    words,theskiermovesfromAtoBtoCtoD.

    http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/1DKin/Lesson1/DistanceandDisplacement 1/1

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