displacements

Displacement refers to the shortest straight-line distance from an object's starting point to its ending point, regardless of the path taken. It’s a measure of how far and in which direction an object has moved from its original position. Unlike distance, which totals the entire path traveled, displacement focuses only on the initial and final points. For example, if you walk around a block and end up where you started, your displacement is zero, because your starting and ending points are the same. It provides a straightforward way to describe an object's overall change in position.