Final answer:
Displacement in physics refers to the change in position of an object including both the magnitude and direction from the initial position to the final position, making it a vector quantity. To calculate displacement, subtract the initial position from the final position of the object. Although the path traveled can be long, the displacement could be small if the starting and ending points are close.
Step-by-step explanation:
Definition of Displacement
Displacement is a concept within physics that refers to the change in position of an object. It is not just the distance an object has moved, but also the direction from its starting point to its ending point. As a vector quantity, displacement includes both magnitude and direction, differentiating it from distance which is a scalar quantity and only includes magnitude.
Example of Calculating Displacement
To calculate displacement, you can subtract the object's initial position from its final position using the equation Δx = x₁ - x₀. For instance, if an object moves from a point A to point B and then back to a point close to A, the total displacement could be close to zero if the object ends up near its starting point, despite having traveled a significant distance.
An example of this would be if Jill walks 2 km north, then 2 km east, and finally 1 km south, her total displacement would be the vector sum of these segments, pointing from her starting point to her final position, regardless of the path taken.
Physics Problems Involving Displacement
Here are a couple of example questions involving displacement:
- a. What is Jill's total displacement to the point where she stops to rest?
- b. What is the magnitude of the final displacement?
- c. Is displacement a vector or a scalar? Give a reason for your answer.
In the context of these problems, remembering that displacement is a vector will help determine the correct answers, which include both the size and direction of Jill's total displacement.