Distance

Distance is how far one thing is from another thing. It is also a measure of the space between two things. It can be measured along any path. Thus, someone who goes around in a circle has traveled a distance, even though his position has not changed.

In geometry, the distance between two points A and B is sometimes written as ${\overline {AB}}$. Pythagorean theorem is often used in the calculation of distance. Distance is a scalar, and thus is different from displacement. Displacement is a vector that measures distance with a straight line (and in only one path). Displacement is the shortest way to travel the distance.

Far and near

The box is far.	The box is near.

Far means that something is a long distance away.

Near means it is a short distance away, or that it is close by.

Examples

• One ball is 5 feet from another ball. The distance between the two balls is 5 feet.
• John walks at a speed of 6 kilometres per hour for one hour. John walks a distance of 6 kilometres.
• A circle is a curved line. Each point on the circle is the same distance from the centre of the circle.

Related pages

• Euclidean distance
• Norm (mathematics)