Physics A-Level
Displacement
What Displacement means in Physics A-Level, as defined for AQA, OCR.
Definitions of Displacement
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
Check what you remember
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Reference: OCR
The straight-line distance in a stated direction from start to finish, so it is a vector and can be zero after a round trip.
The vector change in position, so it has magnitude and direction from the starting point to the finishing point.
The signed distance from the equilibrium position, so it is negative on one side and positive on the other.
The distance of a point on the wave from its equilibrium position, with a sign showing direction.
The straight-line change in position with direction.
Topics that use Displacement
- Motion along a straight line (AQA A-Level)
- Scalars and vectors (AQA A-Level)
- Kinematics (OCR A-Level)
- Simple harmonic oscillations (OCR A-Level)
- Wave motion (OCR A-Level)
Related terms
- Velocity
- Amplitude
- Period
- Phase difference
- Acceleration
- Angular frequency
- Area under a graph
- Area under a graph as a product
Using Displacement in the exam
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