Cry of Jelicuon
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Interactive Explore

Stage Path Explorer

Festival context —Trace a performer's movement across the Cry of Jelicuon stage. Compare the total path length (distance) against the straight-line vector from start to finish (displacement).

S7FE-IIIa-1Grade 7 · Quarter 3Differentiate Distance and Displacement

Stage Path Explorer

Interactive Simulator
"Trace a performer's movement across the Cry of Jelicuon stage. Compare the total path length (distance) against the straight-line vector from start to finish (displacement)."

Stage Path Explorer

displacementstartturnDISTANCE (path)0 mDISPLACEMENT (line)0 mlap 0.0 / 4.5lap = 200 m round trip

Distance counts every metre run. Displacement is only the straight line from the start. One lap = down the lane and back, so whole laps → back at the start → 0. Stop on a half-lap (e.g. 4.5) and you are at the far end → displacement = half the lap distance.

Adjust Variables

Warm-up laps completed4.5 laps
0.510
Lap distance — out and back (m)200 m
100400

Physics ReadoutsLIVE

Total Distance900 m
Displacement100 m
distance = laps × perimeterM; displacement = straight-line start → finish

Community Hub — Cultural Discussion

Reflect & Connect

If a performer rehearses for 3 hours running laps around the gym, is their total distance or total displacement more useful to their trainer? Why? What if a performer is injured halfway through a lap — which measurement matters more to the school nurse?

Discuss with your class or write your response in your science journal.

Performance Task

Measure Your Distance vs. Displacement

1Do

Walk 3 full laps around a rectangular room or open space (use any room whose perimeter you can estimate by counting steps). Start and end at the same corner.

2Measure

Count your total steps to get total distance (1 step ≈ 0.7 m). Then measure the straight-line distance from your starting corner back to itself — which is zero. Use your phone's stopwatch to record your total walking time.

3Reflect

Your total distance was many meters, but your displacement was 0 m — just like a Cry of Jelicuon performer completing warm-up laps. How does this demonstrate competency S7FE-IIIa-1? If you took a shortcut and stopped halfway across the room instead of returning, would distance still equal displacement?

Record your measurements and reflections in your science journal.

Module Overview

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