➤ Distance vs. Displacement

Distance is the total length of the path an object travels.
It does not depend on direction and is always positive.
Example: If a car goes 30 meters forward and then 30 meters back, it has traveled 60 meters of distance.

Displacement is how far an object is from where it started, including direction.
It can be positive, negative, or zero depending on the motion.
Example: If the car goes 30 meters forward and then 30 meters back, the displacement is 0 meters.

➤ Speed vs. Velocity

Speed is how fast an object is moving.
It is based on distance and has no direction, so it’s always positive.
Example: 10 meters per second (m/s) means the object moves 10 meters every second.

Velocity is speed with direction.
It is based on displacement and can be positive or negative.
Example: A velocity of –10 m/s means the object is moving 10 meters per second in the opposite direction.

➤ How It Works in This Simulation

We use velocity to control both the speed and direction of the car.

• The distance graph always goes up, even if the car moves backward.
• The displacement graph goes down when the car moves in reverse, showing direction matters.