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Question
Differentiate between distance and displacement.
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Solution
Distance is a scalar quantity, while displacement is a vector quantity. The magnitude of displacement is either equal to or less than the distance. The distance is the length of path travelled by the body so it is always positive, but the displacement is the shortest length in direction from initial to the final position so it can be positive or negative depending on its direction. The displacement can be zero even if the distance is not zero.
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