What does displacement measure?

Displacement measures the overall change in position of an object from its initial point to its final point, regardless of the path taken. It is a vector quantity, which means it has both magnitude and direction. When calculating displacement, the straight-line distance between the starting and ending points is considered, as well as the direction from the initial to the final position. This concept is crucial in understanding motion, as it distinguishes between the total distance traveled and the direct change in position.

In contrast, total path length deals with the entirety of the distance traveled along the route taken, while speed relates to how fast an object moves over time, not its positional change. Direction alone refers only to the orientation of movement without considering distance, which does not encompass the full concept of displacement.