# A delivery drone takes off vertically from a warehouse roof and travels 80 m due north, then 60 m due east, before hovering in position. Explain the difference between the total distance travelled by the drone and its displacement from the warehouse roof, and describe what is meant by each quantity.

> WJEC A-Level Physics (Wales) — 1.1 Basic physics quantities and motion · Explain · 5 marks

> A delivery drone travels 80 m due north and then 60 m due east from its starting point.

## Mark scheme (5 marks)

1. Distance is the total length of the path travelled by the drone
2. Total distance = 80 m + 60 m = 140 m
3. Displacement is the straight-line distance from the starting point to the finishing point (in a specified direction)
4. Displacement is a vector quantity / has both magnitude and direction, whereas distance is a scalar quantity / has magnitude only
5. The displacement of the drone is 100 m (north-east / at an angle from the warehouse roof), which is less than the total distance of 140 m

## Key terms

- [distance](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/distance)
- [displacement](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/displacement)

## Related

- [Revision notes for WJEC A-Level Physics (Wales)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "Explain" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
- [Practice this with AI marking (free)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/start)

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Source: [GradeNine](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/q/a-delivery-drone-takes-off-vertically-6b5cd093) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.