Displacement in mechanics refers to the distance and direction of an object's change in position from its starting point. It is a vector quantity that takes into account both magnitude and direction.
Distance is a scalar quantity that refers to the total length traveled by an object, while displacement is a vector quantity that takes into account the object's starting and ending positions. Distance is always positive, while displacement can be either positive or negative depending on the direction of the movement.
Displacement is calculated by subtracting the initial position from the final position. In equation form, it is represented as Δx = xf - xi, where Δx is displacement, xf is the final position, and xi is the initial position.
Yes, displacement can be negative if the object moves in the opposite direction of the chosen positive direction. For example, if an object moves 5 meters to the left from its starting position, its displacement would be -5 meters.
The SI unit of displacement is meters (m). However, other units such as centimeters (cm) or kilometers (km) can also be used to measure displacement.