Can displacement ever be greater than distance? If so, how?

1 Answer
Steve J.
Apr 2, 2018

If you are comparing displacement and distance for the motion of the same object, over the same time period, the answer is no.

Explanation:

The only way that the displacement and distance for the motion of the same object, over the same time period would be equal would be if the motion is in a straight line. If the motion was not a straight line, distance would be greater than displacement. That is because the shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line. I expect that is still true.

I hope this helps,
Steve

Related questions
Impact of this question
10656 views around the world
You can reuse this answer
Creative Commons License