Final answer:
Displacement is the change in position of an object from its initial to final position. Cassidy's displacement is 2 miles in the perpendicular direction. Distance is the total length of the path traveled, which in Cassidy's case is 3 miles.
Step-by-step explanation:
Displacement is a vector quantity that represents the change in position or location of an object from its initial position to its final position. It is calculated by considering the straight line distance and direction between the initial and final positions.
In the case of Cassidy, she walks 1 mile in one direction, then turns 90 degrees and walks 2 miles in another direction. Since we are only considering the straight-line distances and not the actual path followed, Cassidy's displacement would be 2 miles in the second direction, perpendicular to her initial direction.
Distance, on the other hand, is a scalar quantity that only measures the total length of the path traveled by an object, regardless of its direction. In Cassidy's case, the distance she walked would be the sum of the two distances: 1 mile + 2 miles = 3 miles.