| Distance | Displacement |
Distance is the length of the path actually traveled by a body in any direction.
| Displacement is the shortest distance between the initial and final positions of a body in the direction of the point of the final position. |
| Distance between two given points depends upon the path chosen. | Displacement between two points is measured by the straight path between the points. |
| Distance is always positive | Displacement may be positive as well as negative and even zero. |
| Distance is a scalar quantity. | Displacement is a vector quantity |
| Distance will never decrease. | Displacement may decrease. |