Displacement is

Displacement is

• A. Change in position (delta s)
• B. Delta s
• C. Final velocity minus initial velocity
• D. Time multiplied by velocity

Answer: (A)

Displacement is the change in position of an object—the final position minus the initial position. It’s a vector that points from where you started to where you ended. In one dimension you can write it as Δs (or Δx), and its magnitude is the straight-line distance between the start and end points, regardless of the path taken. The other ideas mix up different quantities: the change in velocity is Δv, not displacement, and time multiplied by velocity gives distance traveled only in the special case of constant velocity along a straight path. Displacement always refers to net position change, not the total distance traveled or a velocity-time product.

Displacement is the change in position of an object—the final position minus the initial position. It’s a vector that points from where you started to where you ended. In one dimension you can write it as Δs (or Δx), and its magnitude is the straight-line distance between the start and end points, regardless of the path taken.

The other ideas mix up different quantities: the change in velocity is Δv, not displacement, and time multiplied by velocity gives distance traveled only in the special case of constant velocity along a straight path. Displacement always refers to net position change, not the total distance traveled or a velocity-time product.