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