Distance and displacement
A tram leaves the depot and travels along its route around the city streets. The distance travelled by the tram is the total amount of ground that it covers.
Look at the animation below.
The displacement
of the tram, however, is the straight distance between the start and the
end of the journey with a direction of the finish from the start. Although the distance covered by the tram is 70km
the displacement is only 10km South.