Lesson 1 of 12 · Kinematics
Experiment⭐ 30 XPDistance, Displacement, and Why They Differ
Kinematics.
🎯 Your mission
Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.
⚡ The twist
Nature loves to surprise the careful watcher.
Mind = Blown
🔬 The more you look, the more nature shows you.
Make a hypothesis first
Before you start: write down what you think will happen, and why.
What You'll Learn
Distance is the total path length travelled; displacement is the straight-line vector from start to finish. Run one lap of a 400 m track and your distance is 400 m but your displacement is zero, because you ended where you began.
Key Words
Tap a word to see its definition.
Materials Needed
- tape measure
- chalk or masking tape
- notebook
Safety First
- Walk, don't run — check the floor is clear before you start.
Steps
Read the explanation above and note the two key terms before you start.
Walk a rectangle 6 m by 4 m in your yard or hallway, counting paces. Record the total distance walked and then measure the straight line from your start point to your end point. Repeat, stopping at each corner, and tabulate distance against displacement.
Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.
Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 2A runner completes exactly one lap of a 400 m track. What is her displacement?
Where you see this in real life
This shows up in your everyday life more than you'd think.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Try one experiment in real life this week — even a tiny one.
For the dinner table
“What's the most surprising thing you learned today?”
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Distance, Displacement, and Why They Differ
Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.
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