Displacement is an important idea in understanding how things move in a straight line.

So, what is displacement?

Displacement is the change in position of an object.

Here’s the key difference to remember:

• Distance tells us how far something has traveled along a path.
• Displacement only looks at where something started and where it ended.

This difference is really important when we study motion.

Key Features of Displacement:

• Direction Matters: Displacement is special because it has both size and direction. For example, if you walk 3 meters east and then 4 meters west, you have traveled 7 meters. But your displacement is just 1 meter to the west.

• Shortest Path: Displacement always measures the shortest distance between two points. This can make solving physics problems easier.

Understanding Motion:

In simple motion, displacement helps us know not just “how far” something has gone, but also “where” it has gone.

For example, if a car goes around a circular track and ends up back where it started, its displacement is zero. This is true even if it has traveled a long distance!

How to Calculate Displacement:

You can calculate displacement using this formula:

$$\Delta x = x_f - x_i$$

In this formula, $x_f$ is where the object ends up, and $x_i$ is where it started.

This shows us that only the start and end points really matter, not the path taken in between.

Real-Life Examples:

Let’s look at some examples with a runner on a track:

• Example 1: If the runner starts at point A (0 meters) and runs to point B (100 meters), the displacement is $100 - 0 = 100 \text{ meters}$.

• Example 2: If the runner goes from A to B and then back to A, the displacement is $0 \text{ meters}$. This shows us that if the starting point and ending point are the same, the displacement can be zero, even if the runner moved a lot.

In short, getting to know displacement is really important in kinematics. It helps us understand and analyze how objects move in a straight line!