Enter the initial velocity, time, and acceleration into the calculator to determine the displacement of an object. The calculator uses the displacement equation from kinematics to calculate the result.
Displacement Equation
The following equation is used to calculate the displacement of an object in motion.
s = ut + frac{1}{2}at^2Variables:
- s is the displacement (meters)
- u is the initial velocity (meters per second)
- t is the time (seconds)
- a is the acceleration (meters per second squared)
To calculate the displacement, multiply the initial velocity by the time, then add half of the acceleration multiplied by the square of the time.
What is Displacement?
Displacement in physics refers to the change in position of an object. It is a vector quantity that has both magnitude and direction. Displacement is different from distance in that displacement measures the shortest path between the starting and ending points, whereas distance measures the total path traveled.
How to Calculate Displacement?
The following steps outline how to calculate the displacement of an object.
- First, determine the initial velocity (u) of the object in meters per second.
- Next, determine the time (t) in seconds over which the object is in motion.
- Next, determine the acceleration (a) of the object in meters per second squared.
- Use the displacement equation: s = ut + (1/2)at².
- Finally, calculate the displacement (s) in meters.
- After inserting the variables and calculating the result, check your answer with the calculator above.
Example Problem:
Use the following variables as an example problem to test your knowledge.
Initial velocity (u) = 5 m/s
Time (t) = 10 s
Acceleration (a) = 2 m/s²
