Which statement correctly describes distance and displacement?

• A. Distance is scalar; displacement is vector.
• B. Distance is vector; displacement is scalar.
• C. Distance and displacement are both scalars.
• D. Displacement is always longer than distance

Answer: (A)

Distance and displacement describe motion in different ways. The key idea is that distance is the total length you travel, with no direction attached, so it’s a scalar. Displacement is the straight-line difference between your starting point and your ending point, and it includes a direction, so it’s a vector.

For example, if you walk 4 m north and then 3 m south, the distance you’ve covered is 7 m, but your displacement is 1 m north. If you end up back at the start, the distance is some positive number, yet the displacement is zero because there’s no overall change in position. This shows why the statement distance is scalar and displacement is vector is the correct description. The other ideas don’t fit: distance isn’t a vector, and displacement isn’t necessarily longer than distance.