displacement

displacement

physics education

October 02, 2018

what is the displacement of a object?  let discuss displacement of a object.

"Shortest distance between initial and final position of a object is called displacement"

In other words "Change in position of a object with respect to time in a certain direction it is called displacement"

Now suppose that  a person standing at point A he want to go at point B now  he has two way at reach point  B

1. He can take the way which has been seen by blue dot.
2. Now he has one more choice to reach at point B he also take path red straight line.

Now think which path he should take to cover smallest distance to reach at point B
Your answer must be he should take red straight line path at reach point B if he take straight line path then that will be displacement and if he follow dot line path that would be distance because there are no certain direction.

NOTE- Displacement of a object could be zero.

How displacement of a object could be zero?

let discuss it 

If person start moving from his initial position at point A and he took straight line for reaching at point B and after reached at point B he return back at point A now how much displacement covered by by person?

And displacement covered by him is zero because now here at his initial position.

NOTE- Displacement is a vector quantity because it has magnitude as well as a direction it has unit m/sec

physics education