Which of the following is the measure of how far an object has travelled?

• A. Speed
• B. Time
• C. Velocity
• D. Distance

Answer: (D)

Distance measures how far an object has travelled. It is the total length of the path, regardless of direction, and it is a scalar (only magnitude, no direction). This is different from speed, which tells how fast something is moving, not how far. Velocity adds direction, describing how fast and in what direction you’re moving (displacement per unit time). Time is simply how long the motion lasts. For example, walk 5 m forward then 3 m back, and you’ve travelled 8 m in distance, but your net displacement is 2 m forward. So the measure of how far you’ve travelled is distance.