Question

two cars start at the same point and drive in a straight line for 5km. At the end of the drive their distances are the same but their displacements are different. Explain how this could happen. Illustrate with a diagram.

Answer 1

A 'displacement' always consists of a magnitude and a direction.  The two cars you just described have displacements with the same magnitude ... 5 km.  But if they didn't both drive in the same direction, then their displacements are different.

Remember:

-- 10 m/s² up and 10 m/s² down are different accelerations

-- 30 mph East and 30 mph West are the same speed but different velocity.

-- 5 km North and 5 km South are the same distance but different displacement.