A.1 Kinematics - 1. distance and displacement

What is distance in physics?

• The straight-line path between the start and end points.

• The total scalar length of the actual path an object moved.

• A vector quantity that points from where the object started to where it ended.

• The shortest path between two points.

What is displacement in physics?

• The total scalar length of the actual path an object moved.

• The total length of the path traveled, regardless of direction.

• A vector that points from where the object started to where it ended, regardless of the path taken.

• The total magnitude of movement.

A person walks 3 meters up, then 3 meters to the right, and finally 3 meters down. What is their total distance traveled?

• 3 meters

• 6 meters

• 9 meters

• 0 meters

How does distance compare to displacement?

• Distance is always smaller than displacement.

• Distance is always equal to displacement.

• Distance can be greater than or equal to displacement, but never smaller.

• Distance can be negative, while displacement is always positive.

A person starts at 0m, moves to +5m, and then moves back to +3m. What is the total distance traveled and the final displacement?

• Distance = 5m, Displacement = +3m

• Distance = 7m, Displacement = +3m

• Distance = 5m, Displacement = -2m

• Distance = 7m, Displacement = -2m