Science glossary film: Displacement

The shortest distance between an object's start point and end point. Displacement is a vector quantity. Which means it has both magnitude, or size, and direction. If a car drives 400 metres east and then 300 south, it travels a total distance of 700 metres. But its displacement is 500 metres in a south-east direction.

Displacement is a vector quantity. Which means it has both magnitude, or size, and direction. If a car drives 400 meters east and then 300 south, it travels a total distance of 700 meters. But its displacement is 500 meters in a south-east direction.