distance is a scalar measurement of the change in location of something from a fixed reference point. It differs from the displacement, which is a vector measurement of the change in location.. The distance is thus related to the displacement in the same way that speed is to velocity. The force exerted by a spring is proportional to the displacement, because the force lies along the direction opposite to that of the displacement – both direction and magnitude are important – so you cannot completely describe the force by giving the distance moved, unless you also specify the direction.