That was a
long distance!
I thought
you’d been
displaced!
Distance: How far an object has moved. The metric unit
for distance is the meter.
200
N
100
W
E
S
200
100
100
100
200
200
Example: Starting at the
star, Zaphod traveled
•North one block
•East one block
•North one block
•South two blocks
•West one block
•North one block.
How far did he travel?
1400 meters
Displacement: when an object’s position changes, its
displacement is the distance and direction between its
original position and its final position.
Example: Starting at the
200
star, Zaphod traveled
N
•North one block
E
100 W
•East one block
S
•North one block
•South two blocks
200
100
100
200
•West one block
100
•North one block.
200
What was his displacement?
200 meters North
A few examples:
What is the distance and displacement if:
1. A car drives south for 1 km.
Distance = 1 km
Displacement = 1 km south
2. A car drives north for 2 km and south for 2 km.
Distance = 4 km
Displacement = 0 km
3. A car drives west for 1 km, south for 1 km and north for
1 km.
Distance = 3 km
Displacement = 1 km west
The A-Mazing Displacement Lab
B
A
For the lab:
1. Draw a path between point A and point B without lifting
your pencil.
2. Trace the path by laying a piece of string on top of the
path.
3. Tie a knot in the string at point B.
4. Measure the length of the string with a meter stick or
metric ruler.
5. Record the distance IN METRIC units in the table.
6. Use the string to measure the displacement for your
path.
7. Use a different color to draw a DIFFERENT path and
repeat the measurements.
8. Record your lab partner’s data in your table.
9. Answer the lab questions.
10. Make sure your name is on the lab sheet and turn it in.
That was a
long distance!
I thought
you’d been
displaced!
Speed: the distance traveled in a certain amount of time
Calculate speed by taking the distance traveled and dividing
by the amount of time that the object was traveling
Example: Trillion walked 2 miles in 0.5 hours.
Her speed was =
2 miles
0.5 hours
= 4 miles per hour
Velocity
Velocity is a speed with a direction. Wind speeds are
actually wind velocities because the wind direction is
also given.
Example: 30 mph from the north
15 mph from the south east
If you multiply SPEED by TIME, you get DISTANCE
If you multiply VELOCITY by TIME, you get DISPLACEMENT
Examples:
1. A car travels 100 km in 60 minutes. What is its speed in
kilometers/hour?
Speed = 100 km/1 hour
2. A plane flies 1200 miles in 2 hours. What is its speed?
Speed = 1200 miles/2 hours = 600 miles/hour
3. A person walks 2 miles north in 45 minutes. What was
their velocity in miles per minute?
velocity = 2 miles/45 min = 0.04 miles/min North
4. A train travels 1400 miles east in 20 hours. What is its
velocity?
velocity = 1400 miles/20 hrs = 70 miles/hour east