✅ What Is Displacement? (Definition)

Displacement is the shortest straight-line distance from the starting point to the ending point with direction.

👉 It is a vector.
So it always includes:

• Distance (how far)
• Direction (where)

🧠 Displacement vs Distance (Very Simple)

Distance is a scalar.
Displacement is a vector.

🪑👨 Using the Bench and the Man Example

Scenario:

The man starts at Point A.
The bench is at Point B, 5 meters to the east.

▶️ If the man walks straight to the bench

• Distance walked = 5 meters
• Displacement = 5 meters east

These two values are the same only because he walked straight.

▶️ If the man takes a longer path

Say he walks:

• 4 meters north
• 6 meters east
• 4 meters south

He has walked 14 meters total.

But what is his displacement?

He ends at the bench, which is 5 meters east from his starting point.

So:

Displacement = 5 meters east

Even though he walked a lot, his displacement depends only on start and end points, not the path.

📌 Key Idea to Remember

Displacement does NOT care about the path taken.
It only cares about where you started and where you ended.

🎯 Simple Real-Life Examples

✔️ Example 1: Walking Around a Park

You walk 1 km in a full circle and return to your starting point.

• Distance = 1 km
• Displacement = 0 km (because start = end)

✔️ Example 2: Moving a Chair

You push a chair 2 meters forward.

• Displacement = 2 meters forward

If you push it forward 2 m, then back 2 m:

• Distance = 4 meters
• Displacement = 0 (because it returned to the same place)

⭐ TL;DR