Meaning of displacement (what is it, concept and definition)

What is Displacement:

Displacement is the change in position that a body undergoes, from an initial point A to an end point B, through movement.

However, this term has other meanings that vary according to the context in which it is used, such as, for example, to refer to the displacement of people, among others.

Displacement in physics

Displacement is understood as the length and direction that a body travels to move from a starting point to an end point.

This displacement is represented by a vector or a straight line that indicates the distance of the displacement and its length.

This vector indicates the origin point, the direction and the end point of the displacement. Hence, it represents the shortest route that exists between the change of position that a body experiences.

The length, on the other hand, refers to the distance that exists between the initial position and the final position traveled by a body that has moved. All individuals and objects can move or be moved and change position.

In this case, it is not necessary to measure what has been the trajectory or the speed of movement of a body, that is, the path traveled to change its position, these data are calculated through different procedures.

For example, a teacher moves around the room and modifies her position by walking from her desk (starting or starting point) to the blackboard (ending point). This displacement can be two meters long.

However, the teacher made this trip three times equally, however, the length of her displacement was the same (two meters), beyond the distance traveled that was greater. In this case, what you want to highlight is that there was a change of position through the movement.

Two types of displacement can be distinguished. The positive displacement, in which a change of position is evident, and the negative displacement, in which the body moves and returns to its starting point.

See also:

• Speed.Distance.

Internal displacement

Internal displacement is understood as the movement carried out by large groups of people who are forced to move or flee from their place of origin or current residence to other areas.

These displacements occur for reasons beyond their control, social, political, economic, natural disasters, and even humanitarian.

Internally displaced persons mobilize unexpectedly and, generally, being forced to leave their possessions. They should not be confused with people who migrate under a previous plan, nor with people who are refugees.

Other uses of displacement

The word displacement can be used in the area of ​​maritime navigation to refer to the weight and volume of the water that moves when a cargo ship moves along the sea lanes.

In chemistry, electrical displacement is referred to as a phenomenon in which an added element can displace a compound element from a chemical reaction.

In psychology, the term displacement is used to refer to a type of defense mechanism that allows certain feelings to be diverted towards a substitute object that is not real.