AQA · GCSE · Physics
Course version: 8463 · Version from Sept 2016
Distance is how far an object moves. Distance does not involve direction.…
Full specification wording
Distance and displacement: Distance is how far an object moves. Distance does not involve direction. Distance is a scalar quantity.
Distance is the total length of the path travelled, measured along whatever route was actually taken.
Checked against the AQA 8463 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 1 of 4
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
Distance is the total length of the path travelled, measured along whatever route was actually taken. It is a scalar, which means it is fully described by a magnitude and a unit, such as 350 m or 12 km, with no direction attached. A car's odometer measures distance: drive one lap of a circuit and it records the whole lap even though you finish where you started. Distances add as ordinary numbers, so walking three metres east and then four metres west gives a distance of seven metres. Because it carries no direction, a distance can never be negative and never decreases as a journey continues. Speed, mass, time, energy and temperature are scalars too; force, velocity, displacement, acceleration and momentum are not.
What earns the marks
- Distance described as how far an object moves, measured along its path.
- A scalar having magnitude only, with no direction.
- Adding distances as ordinary numbers regardless of direction.
- A correct further example of a scalar quantity.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Giving a direction with a distance, which turns it into a displacement.
Using the straight-line separation of start and finish as the distance travelled.
Calling force or velocity a scalar.
Allowing a distance to decrease part way through a journey.
Exam tips
- Scalar means one number and a unit; if a direction appears, the quantity is a vector.
- For any curved route, the distance is always greater than the displacement.
Try the lesson
The start of the Distance and displacement: Distance is how far an object moves. Distance does not involve direction. Distance is a scalar quantity. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
A runner jogs 400 m around a curved track and stops. Which quantity describes how far the runner has moved, without any direction?
Listen
Distance is the total length of the path travelled, measured along whatever route was actually taken. It is a scalar, which means it is fully described by a magnitude and a unit, such as 350 m or 12 km, with no direction attached. A car's odometer measures distance: drive one lap of a circuit and it records the whole lap even though you finish where you started. Distances add as ordinary numbers, so walking three metres east and then four metres west gives a distance of seven metres. Because it carries no direction, a distance can never be negative and never decreases as a journey continues. Speed, mass, time, energy and temperature are scalars too; force, velocity, displacement, acceleration and momentum are not. A strong answer earns marks for these points. distance described as how far an object moves, measured along its path. a scalar having magnitude only, with no direction. adding distances as ordinary numbers regardless of direction. a correct further example of a scalar quantity. Exam tip: Scalar means one number and a unit; if a direction appears, the quantity is a vector.
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