Lesson: Distance and Displacement Physics • 9th Grade

In this lesson, we will learn how to define distance as the length of a path between two positions and to define displacement as the straight line distance between two positions.

Lesson Plan

Objectives

Students will be able to

recognize that distance is not directional,
recognize that distance can only be positive valued,
recognize that displacement has a specific direction,
recognize that displacement can be positive or negative valued,
recognize that the magnitude of the displacement of a point from another is the straight-line distance between the points.

Prerequisites

Students should already be familiar with

magnitude.

Exclusions

Students will not cover

any rate of motion.

Lesson Video

Lesson Explainer

Sample Question Videos

07:20
02:12
02:35

Lesson Worksheet

Q1:

A rover on Mars is initially facing north. The rover travels 300 m in the direction it is facing, turns to its left and travels 200 m in this new direction, turns left again and travels 500 m in the direction it is now facing, and turns left once more and travels 100 m in the direction that it is now facing.

What is the rover’s net displacement east of its initial position?

What is the rover’s net displacement north of its initial position?

Q2:

A woman starts at the point A shown in the diagram and walks up two flights of stairs that are both 6 m in height and walks to point B, which is directly above point A.

What is the woman’s upward vertical displacement?

What is the woman’s net horizontal displacement?

Q3:

A tourist wandering around a city walks 965 m east, then 244 m south, then 139 m west, then 760 m north, then 826 m west, and then finally 44 m south before stopping for a rest. How far is the tourist displaced from the point they started walking from?