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Displacement an-WPS Office

Displacement and Distance

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8 views2 pages

Displacement an-WPS Office

Displacement and Distance

Uploaded by

lpnicanics
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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Displacement and distance are fundamental concepts in physics, often confused but distinct:

# Distance

1. *Definition*: Total length of the path traveled by an object.

2. *Description*: Distance is a scalar quantity, measured in units of length (e.g., meters, miles).

3. *Characteristics*: Always positive, never negative.

4. *Example*: Traveling 10 km from point A to point B and back to A covers a distance of 20 km.

# Displacement

1. *Definition*: Change in position from initial to final point.

2. *Description*: Displacement is a vector quantity, measured in units of length (e.g., meters, miles).

3. *Characteristics*: Can be positive, negative, or zero.

4. *Example*: Traveling 10 km from point A to point B results in a displacement of 10 km. Returning to A


results in zero displacement.

# Key differences

1. *Direction*: Distance ignores direction, while displacement considers it.

2. *Magnitude*: Distance is always positive, while displacement can be positive, negative, or zero.

3. *Path*: Distance measures the entire path, while displacement measures the shortest path between
initial and final points.

# Formulas

1. *Distance*: d = total length of path

2. *Displacement*: Δx = x₂ - x₁ (final position - initial position)

# Examples
1. A car travels 100 km north and then 50 km south. Distance = 150 km, Displacement = 50 km north.

2. A ball thrown upwards returns to its original position. Distance = height + height, Displacement = 0.

# Real-world applications

1. Physics and engineering

2. Navigation and transportation

3. Sports and performance analysis

4. Computer graphics and animation

Would you like more clarification or examples?

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