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How is distance and displacement the same?

In: Science, Units of Measure [Edit categories]

Answer:

Distance is a scalar and is the total amount of distance you traveled, without direction. If you walk 20m North, then walk 18m South, your distance will be 38m altogether. Therefore to calculate the overall distance in a trip with many legs, you add the magnitudes of the length of each leg without worrying about the direction.

Displacement is the vector equivalent of distance and is measured from the starting point to the ending point in one straight line, with direction. So if you walk 20m North, then walk 18m South, your displacement will be 2m North. Therefore to calculate the overall displacement in a trip with many legs, you use vector summation to add all the vectors representing each of the legs.

First answer by ID3325479570. Last edit by Hanbert. Contributor trust: 194 [recommend contributor ]. Question popularity: 0 [recommend question].

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Relevant answers:

When can a body have same distance and same displacement?
Distance is equal to magnitude of displacement when the motion is in a straight line.
The distance and displacement of an object are the same when?
The distance and displacement are the same when the displacement is parallel to itself or straight. Displacement is a vector and distance is a real number or scalar. If an object is displaced around...
When is distance and displacement not the same?
Example. Let us say that your school is 4 miles away in a straight line of walking. The trip to and from school is 8 miles and this is the distance you have walked. The displacement is only 4 miles...
Are displacement and distance measured in the same unit?
Yes, the unit is meter. However, displacement is a vector (V) and has a direction, while distance is a scalar(S) or real number.