Relative displacement refers to the change in position of an object with respect to a reference point or another object. It measures the difference in the final and initial positions of the object. The relative displacement can be positive, negative, or zero, depending on the direction and magnitude of the motion.
Let's consider two cases to explain relative displacement:
Case 1: Object Moving in a Straight Line
Suppose an object moves along a straight line from point A to point B. The reference point is chosen as point A. If the object moves in the same direction as the reference point, the relative displacement is positive. For example, if the object moves 5 meters to the right of point A, the relative displacement would be +5 meters. On the other hand, if the object moves in the opposite direction, the relative displacement is negative. If the object moves 3 meters to the left of point A, the relative displacement would be -3 meters.
Case 2: Object Moving in Different Directions
Consider two objects, Object 1 and Object 2, moving in different directions. Let's say Object 1 moves 10 meters to the right of its initial position, and Object 2 moves 5 meters to the left of its initial position. In this case, we can calculate the relative displacement between Object 1 and Object 2. We choose either of the objects or a reference point as the origin. Let's choose Object 1 as the reference point. The relative displacement of Object 2 with respect to Object 1 would be the vector sum of their individual displacements. Here, Object 2 is 15 meters to the left of Object 1, so the relative displacement is -15 meters.
In summary, relative displacement measures the change in position of an object with respect to a reference point or another object. It can be positive, negative, or zero, depending on the direction and magnitude of the motion.