Kinematics #3

          In this unit of kinematics, we learned about displacement.  Displacement is not how far you traveled, but how far you traveled from your starting point at any given time.  Throughout one day, no matter how far you go, if you return to where you started your day, your displacement is zero.

          The series of pictures above is an example of displacement.  The hermit crab at the bottom of the picture travels about three inches to the right but suddenly goes back to the starting point.  So he traveled approximately 6 inches but his displacement is zero because he returned to the original starting point.