Question

What's the difference between distance and displacement

Answer 1

Distance is a scalar quantity that refers to "how much ground an object has covered" during its motion. Displacement is a vector quantity that refers to "how far out of place an object is"; it is the object's overall change in position.

Answer 2

Displacement is the difference between point A and point B taking the most direct route.

Distance is the amount travelled. This is different because if the path taken from point A to point B contains swirls and turns and is overall not the most direct path, distance accounts for this.