What is the difference between distance an displacement?

A distance is the length of the straight line path between 2 points. This is also known as a scalar value as it has a magnitude but no direction.

A displacement is the distance and the direction between one point and another. This is also known as a vector as it has magnitude and direction as well.

Note that the distance between two points, say, point A and point B is the same as the distance from point B to point A. It remains the same value regardless of the direction of travel. On the other hand, if a displacement between point A and point B was 1 mile North, it cannot be reversed. The displacement between point B and point A is 1 mile South - the same distance but an opposite direction.