Could you explain to me how it is possible to run a distance of 1.0 km and have zero displacment.
Run one lap around a 1 km track, or two laps around a 500 m track. You will end up where you started.
It will be hard to find such a track, however. Most tracks for running are 400 meters or 1/4 mile. Most horse racing tracks (in the USA) are one mile.
I kind of get it.
So. It is possible to run a distance of 1.0 km and have zero displacement by ending up where you started in the first place?????
Certainly! To understand how it is possible to run a distance of 1.0 km and have zero displacement, we need to first understand the difference between distance and displacement.
Distance refers to the actual length of the path traveled, regardless of direction. It is a scalar quantity and is always positive. For example, if you run 1.0 km to the east and then return back along the same path, your total distance traveled would be 2.0 km.
Displacement, on the other hand, refers to the change in position from start to end point and includes direction. It is a vector quantity and can be positive, negative, or zero. Displacement can be thought of as the straight-line distance from the starting point to the ending point, regardless of the actual path taken.
In the scenario you mentioned, where you run a distance of 1.0 km and have zero displacement, it means that your starting and ending points are the same. You may have gone on a circular path or even back and forth, but you ultimately ended up at the same location where you started. This is referred to as "returning to the origin" or completing a closed loop.
So, in summary, zero displacement means there is no change in position, while distance refers to the total length of the path traveled. You can run a distance of 1.0 km with zero displacement by ending up at your starting point, completing a closed loop, or moving in such a way that your displacements cancel each other out.