📚 Topic Summary
Distance and displacement are both ways to measure how far something has moved, but they're not the same! Distance is the total length of the path traveled, no matter the direction. Think of it as the odometer reading in a car. Displacement, on the other hand, is the shortest straight-line distance between the starting and ending points, along with the direction. It's like saying 'you are 5 meters North-East of where you started'. So, displacement is a vector quantity because it has both magnitude (size) and direction, whereas distance is a scalar quantity.
🧮 Part A: Vocabulary
Match the terms with their correct definitions:
- Term: Distance
- Term: Displacement
- Term: Scalar
- Term: Vector
- Term: Magnitude
- Definition: A quantity that has only magnitude (size).
- Definition: The total length of the path traveled.
- Definition: The shortest straight-line distance between the start and end points, with direction.
- Definition: The size or amount of something.
- Definition: A quantity that has both magnitude and direction.
(Match the term number to the definition number. E.g., 1 goes with 2, meaning Distance is defined as the total length of the path traveled.)
✍️ Part B: Fill in the Blanks
Complete the following paragraph using the words: vector, scalar, displacement, distance, direction.
__________ is the total length of the path traveled and is a __________ quantity. __________ is the shortest straight-line path between the starting and ending points and includes __________. Therefore, displacement is a __________ quantity.
🤔 Part C: Critical Thinking
Imagine a runner completes one full lap around a circular track. What is the runner's distance traveled and displacement? Explain your answer.