OpenOlympiad
Concept 7 of 8Foundation
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Distance vs displacement (peek ahead)

Distance = total path length covered. Displacement = straight-line from start to end (with direction).

If you walk 4 m east then 3 m north, distance = 7 m, but displacement = 5 m (diagonal).

Running around a 400 m track back to start: distance = 400 m, displacement = 0.

Example
Walk 3 km east, then 4 km west. Distance = 7 km. Displacement = 1 km west.
💡 Tip:Displacement can be zero even when distance is huge (round trips).
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5 questions to check what you just read.

0 / 5
  1. Q1.Walk 4 m east then 3 m east. Distance:
  2. Q2.Walk 5 m east then 5 m west. Displacement:
  3. Q3.Distance around a 400 m track once. Distance vs displacement:
  4. Q4.Displacement can be:
  5. Q5.Distance between −4 and 3 on number line: