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Distance Displacement: Scalar Quantity Vector Quantity

Distance is a scalar quantity that refers to the total length traveled by an object, regardless of direction. Displacement is a vector quantity that refers to the straight-line distance between the object's initial and final positions, taking direction into account. The document provides examples to illustrate the difference: a teacher who walks 4m east, 2m south, 4m west, and 2m north has a distance of 12m but a displacement of 0m, since her final position is the same as her starting point. A cross-country skier's displacement can be determined from a diagram showing her position at different times, while taking into account changes in direction of travel between points.

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163 views

Distance Displacement: Scalar Quantity Vector Quantity

Distance is a scalar quantity that refers to the total length traveled by an object, regardless of direction. Displacement is a vector quantity that refers to the straight-line distance between the object's initial and final positions, taking direction into account. The document provides examples to illustrate the difference: a teacher who walks 4m east, 2m south, 4m west, and 2m north has a distance of 12m but a displacement of 0m, since her final position is the same as her starting point. A cross-country skier's displacement can be determined from a diagram showing her position at different times, while taking into account changes in direction of travel between points.

Uploaded by

Lingling 40Hours
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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10 SCIENCE – Unit 3 Distance and Displacement

Distance and displacement are two quantities that may seem to mean the same thing yet have distinctly
different definitions and meanings.
 Distance is a scalar quantity that refers to "how much ground an object has covered" during its
motion.
 Displacement is a vector quantity that refers to "how far out of place an object is"; it is the object's
overall change in position.
To test your understanding of this distinction, consider the motion depicted in the diagram below. A physics
teacher walks 4 meters East, 2 meters South, 4 meters West, and finally 2 meters North.

Even though the physics teacher has walked a total distance of 12 meters, her displacement is 0 meters.
During the course of her motion, she has "covered 12 meters of ground" (distance = 12 m). Yet when she is
finished walking, she is not "out of place" - i.e., there is no displacement for her motion (displacement = 0
m). Displacement, being a vector quantity, must give attention to direction. The 4 meters east cancels the 4
meters west; and the 2 meters south cancels the 2 meters north. Vector quantities such as displacement are
direction aware. Scalar quantities such as distance are ignorant of direction. In determining the overall
distance travelled by the physics teachers, the various directions of motion can be ignored.
Now consider another example. The diagram below shows the position of a cross-country skier at various
times. At each of the indicated times, the skier turns around and reverses the direction of travel. In other
words, the skier moves from A to B to C to D.
 
Use the diagram to determine the resulting displacement and the distance travelled by the skier during these
three minutes.

ANSWER:

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Distance and Displacement Worksheet


For each question plot the path on the grid paper.

1. Chance drives her scooter 7 kilometres north. She stops for lunch and then drives 5 kilometres east. What
distance did she cover? What was her displacement?

2. Anthony walks to the pizza place for lunch. He walk 1 km east, then 1 km south and then 1 km east again.
What distance did he cover? What was his displacement?

3. On his fishing trip Justin rides in a boat 12 km south. The fish aren’t biting so they go 4 km west. They then
follow a school of fish 1 km north. What distance did they cover? What was their displacement?

4. Tara goes on a camel safari in Africa. She travels 5 km north, then 3 km east and then 1 km north again.
What distance did she cover? What was her displacement?

5. Alex goes cruising on his dirt bike. He rides 700 m north, 300 m east, 400 m north, 600 m west, 1200 m
south 300 m east and finally 100 m north. What distance did he cover? What was his displacement? (use
1cm = 100m)

6. Jose buys a new moped. He travels 3 km south and then 4 km east. How far does he need to go to get back
to where he started?

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