What is the definition of displacement in physics?

Shannon 27 answers
Hi, I’m studying for my physics exam, and I’m having trouble understanding the definition of displacement. How is it different from distance? Any help would be appreciated!
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Displacement is how far an object has travelled from its original starting point. Distance is the total distance travelled altogether. E.g. if you walked 3m to the left and then 6m to the right, the distance you have travelled is 9m; however, your displacement is 3m to the right. Hope this helps!
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Noofa
This is so simple dear students.. It's the shortest distance from the starting point to the destination (final point) you travelled. This is called destination
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Shahid
The shortest distance between the initial and final position of an object is known as displacement. It is a vector quantity.
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Kuldeep Singh
Distance is the total path covered by a moving object, while displacement is the shortest distance between the starting point and the endpoint. For example, when traveling from your house to your school, the distance is the route you take, such as the road you follow. On the other hand, the displacement is the straight-line distance from your house to your school, representing the change in the object's position between two points, and it is a vector quantity.
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Both distance and displacement are used to describe a certain motion of an object. To some extent, both describe how far the object goes from the origin. The difference is that displacement only depends on where that object starts and where that object ends up being. Distance, on the other hand, depends on the path the object took to reach the destination. When you go to school from home, no matter what route you choose to take, your displacement is fixed, whereas the distance may vary.
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Hi Shannon, Distance is a scalar (only has a magnitude, i.e. size) but displacement is a vector quantity, so has a magnitude AND direction (it has a direction too). So you could say " his distance walked was 100m", or his "displacement was 100m to the right".
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Adrian Ibrahim
Displacement is a vector, while Distance is a scalar. So Displacement has a magnitude (a numerical value) and also a direction, whereas Distance only has a magnitude. For example, walking 10 metres is a distance, but walking 10 metres North is a displacement. Displacement is the distance from the original position. So if I walked 5 metres forward, and 5 metres backwards, the distance is 10 metres (since 5+5), but the displacement is 0 metres, as I have ended up in the exact same position (this can be thought of as (+5-5, where the +5 metres is forward, and backwards is like -5 metres). So when we have a value for displacement, we need to specify the sign (+ or -), using a reference point we have made. (E.g to the right is positive, so to the left must be negative).
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Hi Shannon Displacement is a vector quantity which measures the shortest straight line distance between two points.
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Hi, Displacement is a vector quantity , it has magnitude and direction. For example, a car travels 40 metres west. Distance is a scalar quantity, it has magnitude only. For example a car travels 40 metres. Hope this helps
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The shortest distance from the original position to the final position of an object is called displacement. Also displacement is a vector quantity it will have both magnitude and direction. Example: You walk 3 m east then go 4 m north. In all you have moved 7 m, but the displacement is the straight line from where you began to where you now are, and is calculated by the Pythagorean theorem. In this example, the displacement would be 5 m north of east at an angle of 53°. I hope it helps😊.
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Displacement is distance in one direction. For example forwards, so if you move backwards displacement is negative, distance has no direction, so moving backwards is still positive.
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S V V Sn Murthy Murthy
Distance is a scalar quantity, it has only magnitude and no direction. It’s the total length of the path traveled by an object, regardless of the direction. Displacement only considers the shortest route between the start and end points, and includes the direction of movement. example: If you walk 10 meters north, then turn around and again walk 10 meters back to your starting point total DISTANCE is 20 meters (10+10) The DISPLACEMENT is 0 meters, because you are in the same position were you started.
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Displacement is basically a distance that is in a specified direction. For instance, 30 cm is a distance. But the moment you are told that the 30 cm is in the south direction, it becomes displacement.
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Displacement definition - The distance moved in a particular direction. Vector quantity with direction defined as from the initial position ( starting position ) to the final position ( end point position ) of the object displaced, and magnitude as distance from initial position to the final position. The unit of displacement is m ( meter )
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Displacement is the measure of separation (distance) covered in a specified direction while distance is just a measure of separation between two points. Extensively, one can say that displacement is a VECTOR QUANTITY because it deals with both magnitude and direction unlike distance, which is a SCALAR QUANTITY (that only deals with magnitude).
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Mohsin Ali
The distinction between displacement and distance is a common source of confusion in physics. Here’s a simple breakdown of each: 1. Distance: Definition: Distance is the total length of the path traveled by an object, regardless of direction. Scalar Quantity: Distance only has magnitude (a number with units, like 5 meters). It does not involve direction. Example: If you walk 3 meters east, then turn around and walk 2 meters west, the total distance you’ve traveled is 3 meters + 2 meters = 5 meters. 2. Displacement: Definition: Displacement is the change in position of an object from its initial point to its final point, in a straight line and in a specific direction. Vector Quantity: Displacement has both magnitude (how far) and direction (which way). Example: If you walk 3 meters east, then 2 meters west, your displacement is 1 meter east (the straight-line distance between your starting and ending point). .
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Natasha Satish Ramteke
displacement = shortest distance between two points. and it a vector quantity as we have to tell direction when we talk about displacement. Distance = actual path that we travel from one point to other. it is a scalar quantity for eg. if we travel by train we don't take shortest route so it is distance, but with plane we try to take direct path so it is displacement
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Displacement is a vector quantity . It is the shortest distance in a particular direction .
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Mohamed Ikram Ikram
Verified Tutor
Displacement is the shortest distance from starting position to the final position. It is a vector quantity which has magnitude (number) and direction (sign or angle). It can be positive, negative or zero value. Distance is the total length travelled along the path from starting to final position. It is the scalar quantity which has magnitude (number) only. It can take only positive value. for example: if you walk 10 m towards right and walk back 13 m towards left, then the distance travelled is 23 m. whereas the displacement is -3 m. Hope you got it.
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Displacement is a shortest possible path from initial to final position of the object. It is often a straight line pointing from initial to final position.
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In physics, displacement refers to the change in position of an object from its initial to its final position. It is a vector quantity, measured in units of length (such as meters or feet), and is typically represented by the symbol "d" or "s". Displacement is defined as the shortest distance between the initial and final positions of an object, and it is not necessarily equal to the distance traveled. For example, if an object moves in a circular path and ends up back at its starting point, its displacement is zero, but the distance traveled is equal to the circumference of the circle. Key points to note: - Displacement only considers the initial and final positions, not the path taken. - Displacement is a vector quantity, with both magnitude (amount of movement) and direction. - Displacement can be positive or negative, depending on the direction of motion. Formula: Displacement (d) = Final position (x2) - Initial position (x1) d = x2 - x1
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In physics, displacement refers to the shortest straight-line distance between an object's initial and final positions, along with the direction of that line. It is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude (how far) and direction (which way).
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Imagine you're walking in your backyard. You start at point A, walk 5 meters forward, and reach point B. Then, you turn around and walk 5 meters back to point A. Distance: The total distance you've walked is 5 meters forward + 5 meters back = 10 meters. Distance is just how far you’ve gone, so it doesn’t matter if you went back to the same place. It only adds up the total length you've walked. Displacement: Displacement is a little different. It looks at where you started (point A) and where you ended (also point A). Since you ended up right where you started, your displacement is 0 meters! Even though you walked 10 meters, in the end, you haven’t changed your position. You’re back at the same spot.
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Displacement is distance in a given direction so it is a vector as it has quantity and direction where distance is only how far you travel so you can travel 3km in a circle and not be displaced at all but displacement is the distance In a straight line from a to b
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Hey, Displacement is defined as the change in distance between two objects. While distance is the total distance travelled by the object. For example if somebody walked 5 meters away from point A, then walked 5 meters back to point A. The distance travelled would be 10 meters (5 meters away + 5 meters back). However the displacement would be 0 meters, as the distance of the person to point A would be 0 because they are back in the same position.
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