Distance
One of the most used concepts is ‘distance,’ which means the total distance actually moved. If you move in zigzag, the actual distance traveled can be quite long, even if the straight distance is short.
Displacement
‘Displacement’ is not a frequently used concept than ‘distance.’ Displacement refers to straight-line distances regardless of the intermediate path.
\[\Delta x=({ x }_{ 2 }-{ x }_{ 1 })\]
The Δ sign reads ‘delta,’ which signifies the difference between the two values.
Therefore, in the above formula, Δx represents the distance difference between X1 and X2.
When moving on a two-dimensional plane, the displacement is measured by applying the Pythagorean theorem.
\[\Delta xy=\sqrt { { ({ x }_{ 2 }-{ x }_{ 1 }) }^{ 2 }+{ ({ y }_{ 2 }-{ y }_{ 1 }) }^{ 2 } } \]