Physics · Grades 6–9
Distance is not displacement · Revision sheet
Use paths and signed positions to explain round trips.
Learn the idea
Path length
Distance is the total length travelled and is non-negative.
Change in position
Displacement is final position minus initial position and includes a direction or sign.
Round trips
Returning to the start makes displacement zero, but travelled distance need not be zero.
State the reference
Define your origin and positive direction before calculating signed displacement.
Explain without looking
- Why is a negative displacement not a negative distance travelled?
- An object begins at +12 m and ends at +3 m. Find signed displacement.
Further reading and review references
These are reference links, not copied exercises, institutional endorsement or proof of independent review.
Independent educational review required. Grade bands are approximate; these are not officially aligned curricula.