Position,Displacement and Distance
A particle’s position `x` is the location of the particle with respect to a chosen reference point that we can consider to be the origin of a coordinate system.
Example:
Positions of a car
Position of the car at various times
Position-time graph
The displacement `∆x` of a particle is defined as its change in position in some time interval. As the particle moves from an initial position `x_i` to a final position `x_f` , its displacement is given by
`∆x = x_f - x_i`
Displacement of the car from A to F:
`∆x_(car) = -53 m - 30 m = -83 m`
Distance is the length of a path followed by a particle.
Distance traveled from A to F:
`d_(a->f) = d_(a->b) + d_(b->f) `
`=(52-30) + (52-(-53))`
`=22 + 105 = 127 m`