Distance and

Displacement
 150 m
100 m

120m

100 m

ACTIVITY
• Distance is defined as the actual
length of path covered by a body.
• Distance is a scalar quantity.

Lesson Proper
• Displacement is defined as the change in initial and final
positions of a body with respect to a reference point.

• Displacement is a vector quantity.

The magnitude of displacement can be computed using the
equation below:
d = df - di

Lesson Proper
To differentiate distance from displacement let us consider the
example below:
Which of the following is distance and which is displacement?

a. 8km
b. 8m
c. 8m east
d. 5km west
e. 5m
How to compute distance and displacement.

Consider the problem below:

An object moves from point A to point B to point C, then back to point B and then to point C along the line shown in the figure
below.

A B C

0km 5km 9km

1.1. Find the distance covered by the moving object.

Distance A, B & C = 9km

C to B = 4km
B to C = 4km
So,
d = 9km + 4km + 4km = 17km

Sample Problem
1.2. Find the magnitude and direction of the displacement of the object.

The object started at point A, so the di = 0. Though the object went back
to point B from point C and eventually going back to point C so the df =
9km. To calculate the magnitude of displacement,

d = df - d i
= 9km-0km
= 9km

d = 9km east or right – final answer

Sample Problem
2. A person walks to the store which is 200 m east and eventually
went back home after sometime. What is the distance of the
person? How about its displacement? Show your solution.

d= 200m + 200m = 400m

d=df - di

d = 0 – since the object ended up to its starting point thus, there is

no displacement.

Sample Problem
1. What is Distance?
2. What is displacement?

EVALUATION
1. Gwen went to the store that is 10m east from their house.
What was Gwen’s distance and displacement?

2. Refer to problem 1, Gwen realizes that her money was

lost so she has travel back to find it. She found the money
halfway to their house and the store. What was Gwen’s
distance and displacement?

Evaluation
3. An object moves along the grid through points A, B, C, D, E AND F as
shown below.
3.1. Find the distance covered by the moving object.
3.2. Find the magnitude of the displacement of the object.

Evaluation
THANK YOU!