Answer to Question #217914 in Physics for Maddy

Question

1. Differentiate between distance and displacement.
2. Differentiate between instantaneous speed and average speed.
3. Differentiate between speed and velocity. 
4. Differentiate between momentum and inertia. 

Answer 1

1) Distance is a scalar quantity that refers to "how much ground an object has covered" during its motion. Displacement is a vector quantity that refers to "how far out of place an object is"; it is the object's overall change in position.

2) Instantaneous speed is the exact speed that a body is moving at, at a given instant in time. It is a true measure of the body's motion for that point in time. An average speed tells you how much distance a body covers during a certain time span, but it does not tell you much about the actual motion that occurred.

3) Speed is the time rate at which an object is moving along a path, while velocity is the rate and direction of an object's movement. Put another way, speed is a scalar value, while velocity is a vector.

4) Momentum is defined as the tendency of a body to remain in motion. In simple words, momentum is your force or speed of movement. Inertia is defined as the tendency of a body to oppose the change in its position. In simple language, inertia is what keeps you going.