The shortest distance measured from the initial to the final position of an object is known as ______

The correct answer is displacement.

Key Points

• Displacement is a vector quantity, which means it has both magnitude and direction.
• It measures the shortest distance from the initial to the final position of an object.
• Displacement is different from distance, which is a scalar quantity and measures the total path length traveled by an object without considering direction.
• It is important in physics because it provides information about the change in position of an object in a specified direction.
• Displacement can be positive, negative, or zero, depending on the direction of movement.
• In mathematical terms, displacement is often represented as a change in position, denoted as Δx in one-dimensional motion.

 Additional Information

• Acceleration
  • Acceleration is the rate at which an object's velocity changes over time.
  • It is a vector quantity, having both magnitude and direction.
  • Acceleration can be caused by changes in speed, direction, or both.
• Speed
  • Speed is a scalar quantity that refers to how fast an object is moving.
  • It is the rate at which an object covers distance, measured in units such as meters per second (m/s).
  • Unlike velocity, speed does not consider the direction of movement.
• Velocity
  • Velocity is a vector quantity that describes the speed of an object in a particular direction.
  • It can be represented as the displacement divided by the time taken.
  • Velocity is important in understanding the motion of objects in physics.