Displacement: GCSE Physics Definition

What is displacement?

In GCSE physics, displacement is a measure of how far something is from its starting position, along with its direction. Displacement is the length and direction of a straight line drawn from the starting point to the finishing point.

Distance is a measure of how far an object travels, but does not have a specified direction. It is the total length of the path taken. Distance and displacement are both measured in metres.

The key difference between distance and displacement is:

• distance is a scalar quantity because it has magnitude only

• displacement is a vector quantity because it has a magnitude and a direction

This difference is important because it means an object may have different values of distance and displacement. For example, when a person goes on a long hike:

• The distance travelled is the total length of the hiking trail, including any twists and turns in the paths

• The displacement is the shortest distance between the start and end points, regardless of any obstacles along the way

Displacement revision resources to ace your exams

You can accelerate your understanding of displacement by checking out our GCSE physics resources, including expert-written revision notes and exam questions. These are tailored to your specific exam board, whether you are taking AQA, Edexcel, or OCR.

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