Definition:Displacement

Definition

The (physical) displacement of a body is a measure of its position relative to a given point of reference in a particular frame of reference.

Displacement is a vector quantity, so it specifies a magnitude and direction from the point of reference.

In Cartesian coordinates, the direction is implicit, as it occurs as a result of the combined distances from the various axes of the frame of reference.

Also known as position vector.

Dimension

The dimension of displacement is length $L$.

Units

• The SI unit of displacement is the meter $\mathrm m$.

• The CGS unit of displacement is the centimeter $\mathrm {cm}$.

Thus:

$1 \ \mathrm m = 10^2 \ \mathrm {cm} = 100 \ \mathrm {cm}$

Sources

• Isaac Asimov: Understanding Physics (1966): $\text{I}$: Chapter $3$