Key ideas1 of 3
How far, and in which direction?
Distance is the total length of a journey: it is a scalar. Displacement is the straight-line change from start to finish, with a direction: it is a vector. In this example, travel 60 m east and then 20 m west. The distance is 60 + 20 = 80 m. The displacement is 40 m east. Both use metres (m). A return to the starting point gives zero displacement, even though distance has been travelled.
