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.

Dimension
The dimension of displacement is length $L$.

Units

 * The SI unit of displacement is the metre $\mathrm m$.


 * The CGS unit of displacement is the centimetre $\mathrm {cm}$.

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

Also known as
The displacement of a body is also known as its position vector.