A car drives 5 km from home to school, then drives 5 km back home along the same road. What are the total distance travelled and the net displacement for the round trip?

1. Distance is the total length of the path travelled, regardless of direction: 5 km out + 5 km back = 10 km. 2. Displacement is the net change in position: final position minus initial position. 3. Since the car ends up back at its starting point (home), the net change in position is zero. 4. The text confirms this directly: "The total distance that your car travels is 10 km, but the total displacement is 0." 5. So distance = 10 km while displacement = 0 km -- distance and displacement are not interchangeable once the path doubles back. _Source: OpenStax Physics Ch 2 "Motion in One Dimension", p.59 Fig. 2.6 §2.1 Relative Motion, Distance, and Displacement_