2.1.  Displacement

The displacement is a vector quantity whose magnitude represents the shortest distance between the initial and final points, and whose direction points from the initial to the final position.

Example 1  

A car travels 3.00 km due west, then 4.00 km due south, as shown in the figure. What is the car's displacement? The displacement vector, x, is the vector sum of vectors A and B, that is x = A + B.

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