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Question
What is the difference between distance travelled by a body and its displacement ? Explain with the
help of a diagram.
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Solution
| Distance | Displacement |
| 1.Distance has only magnitude, with no specified direction. | 1.Displacement has magnitude as well as direction. |
| 2.It is a scalar quantity. | 2.It is a vector quantity. |
| 3.Two different distances can be added directly. | 3.We have to follow the vector addition method to add displacements. |
One difference in diagrammatic form is as follows:
Here the curved line is the distance traveled and the straight line is the magnitude of the displacement.
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