Distance & Displacement

total length of a path from starting point to finishing point

value can never be negative

can happen in any direction

can either be equal to or greater than the value of displacement

magnitude of the length traveled; example 5 meters

direct distance between two points

can be negative or positive

total distance determines how far the object has traveled from its original location

it is always less than the distance covered by an object under consideration

it always happens in a specific direction

Scalar - a quantity, such as distance, that has magnitude (size) but does not take into account direction

Vector - a quantity, such as displacement, that has both magnitude (size) and direction

Vectors in the same directions are added together

Vectors in opposite directions are subtracted

system of objects that are not moving with respect to one another

describes the relative motion of an object accurately and completely

example: a frame of reference is something not moving that is used to compared to something that is moving to determine the objects speed