Displacement and Velocity

Position and Displacement

The position of an object is a measure of where the object is at a particular time with respect to some
reference point. You will use units of meters (m) for position, but other units include miles and inches.
Displacement is the change in position of an object. Distance traveled is the total length of the path traveled
between two positions. In any given scenario, the distance traveled is greater than or equal to the
displacement.

The Greek letter Δ means “change in." Therefore, Δ d means "change in position."
Displacement and Distance Traveled A cyclist travels from one position to another, turns around, and begins
to ride back toward his original position. The distance he traveled is greater than his displacement.

Representing Displacement Distance traveled is an example of

a scalar quantity, a quantity with magnitude or size, but no defined direction.

Displacement is an example of a vector quantity, a quantity having both magnitude and direction.

You can refer to such quantities more simply as vectors and scalars.

You can represent a vector using an arrow, with the length of the arrow indicating the magnitude.

A vector can also be represented mathematically as a set of components.

A vector component, or simply a component, is the projection of a vector quantity along an axis in a coordinate system.

When representing a component, use x to represent horizontal motion and y to represent vertical motion.

Vector Representations Suppose you cut through your backyard to get to a friend’s house. Your motion can be
represented both as a displacement vector and as components.
Develop a Model Changing classes,
you walk 20.0 m down a hall, turn left, and then walk 10.0 m down another hall.
Define a coordinate system and draw the displacement vector in the space that follows.
Also, draw the displacement components, and then determine the vector’s magnitude.