AQA GCSE Physics
AQA GCSE Physics 4.5.6.1.1 Distance and Displacement Exam Questions
Free AQA GCSE Physics exam questions for 4.5.6.1.1 Distance and Displacement, with a mark scheme for every pack. Covers distance as a scalar, displacement as a vector, the straight-line distance and direction from start to finish.
4.5.6.1.1 Distance and Displacement exam questions
2 question packs of real past exam questions, each with its mark scheme. Do not stop after a few: answer as many as you can without notes, then mark every answer with the mark scheme. The more questions you do, the more quickly you will spot how examiners ask about each idea.
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About AQA GCSE Physics 4.5.6.1.1 Distance and Displacement
This short AQA GCSE Physics section starts the Forces and Motion part of the course on Paper 2. It distinguishes distance, which is how far an object moves, from displacement, which includes both the straight-line distance between start and finish points and the direction. It applies the scalar and vector idea from 4.5.1.1 directly. Examiners test whether you can find both quantities for a journey, particularly for round trips and right-angled routes, and give a direction with the displacement.
What you need to know
- Distance Distance is how far an object moves. Distance does not involve direction, so it is a scalar quantity.
- Displacement Displacement includes both the distance an object moves, measured in a straight line from the start point to the finish point, and the direction of that straight line. Displacement is a vector quantity.
- Expressing displacement Express a displacement in terms of both the magnitude and direction, for example 50 m due north or 12 km on a bearing of 060°.
- Round trips If an object returns to its start point its displacement is zero, even though the distance travelled is not zero.
- Right-angled journeys For movement in two perpendicular directions, the magnitude of the displacement can be found by a scale drawing or using Pythagoras.
Common mistakes in 4.5.6.1.1 Distance and Displacement
- Giving a displacement without a direction. Always state magnitude and direction.
- Adding legs of a journey to find displacement. That gives distance; displacement is the straight line from start to finish.
- Saying displacement and distance are always equal. They are equal only for motion in a straight line without changing direction.
- Thinking a negative displacement is impossible. In one dimension the sign shows direction.
Try three 4.5.6.1.1 Distance and Displacement exam-style questions
1. Explain the difference between distance and displacement. (2 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Distance is how far an object moves and has no direction (scalar); displacement is the straight-line distance from start to finish in a stated direction (vector).
2. A runner completes one full lap of a 400 m track, finishing where she started. State her distance travelled and her displacement. (2 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Distance = 400 m; displacement = 0 m.
3. A person walks 30 m east and then 40 m north. Calculate the magnitude of their displacement. (2 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Displacement = square root of (30^2 + 40^2); = 50 m (in a north-easterly direction).
4.5.6.1.1 Distance and Displacement FAQs
What does AQA GCSE Physics 4.5.6.1.1 Distance and displacement cover?
It covers the difference between distance (a scalar) and displacement (a vector), and how to express a displacement with magnitude and direction.
Which paper is distance and displacement on?
It is part of the Forces topic on AQA GCSE Physics Paper 2.
How do I check a displacement answer?
Make sure it is the straight-line distance between the start and finish points and that it includes a direction.
