Displacement may refer to:

Physical sciences

Mathematics and Physics

Displacement (geometry) In geometry and mechanics, a displacement is a vector whose length is the shortest distance from the initial to the final position of a point P undergoing motion. It quantifies both the distance and direction of the net or total motion along a s ...

, is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path covered to reach the final position is irrelevant. **

Particle displacement Particle displacement or displacement amplitude is a measurement of distance of the movement of a sound particle from its equilibrium position in a medium as it transmits a sound wave. The SI unit of particle displacement is the metre (m). In mo ...

, a measurement of distance of the movement of a particle in a medium as it transmits a wave (represented in mathematics by the lower-case Greek letter ξ) **

Displacement field (mechanics) A displacement field is an assignment of displacement vectors for all points in a region or body that is displaced from one state to another. A displacement vector specifies the position of a point or a particle in reference to an origin or to a p ...

, an assignment of displacement vectors for all points in a body that is displaced from one state to another **

Electric displacement field In physics, the electric displacement field (denoted by D) or electric induction is a vector field that appears in Maxwell's equations. It accounts for the effects of free and bound charge within materials. "D" stands for "displacement", as in ...

, as appears in Maxwell's equations *

Wien's displacement law Wien's displacement law states that the black-body radiation curve for different temperatures will peak at different wavelengths that are inversely proportional to the temperature. The shift of that peak is a direct consequence of the Planck r ...

, a relation concerning the spectral distribution of blackbody radiation *

Angular displacement Angular displacement of a body is the angle (in radians, degrees or revolutions) through which a point revolves around a centre or a specified axis in a specified sense. When a body rotates about its axis, the motion cannot simply be analyzed as ...

, a change in orientation of a rigid body, the amount of rotation about a fixed axis.

Engineering

Engine displacement Engine displacement is the measure of the cylinder volume swept by all of the pistons of a piston engine, excluding the combustion chambers. It is commonly used as an expression of an engine's size, and by extension as a loose indicator of the ...

, the total volume of air/fuel mixture an engine can draw in during one complete engine cycle *

Displacement (fluid) In fluid mechanics, displacement occurs when an object is largely immersed in a fluid, pushing it out of the way and taking its place. The volume of the fluid displaced can then be measured, and from this, the volume of the immersed object can b ...

, an object immersed in a fluid pushes the fluid out of the way *

Positive displacement meter A positive displacement meter is a type of flow meter that requires fluid to mechanically displace components in the meter in order for flow measurement. Positive displacement (PD) flow meters measure the volumetric flow rate of a moving fluid or ...

, a pump or flow meter which processes a definite fluid volume per revolution *Displacement has several meanings related to ships and boats **

Displacement hull A hull is the watertight body of a ship, boat, or flying boat. The hull may open at the top (such as a dinghy), or it may be fully or partially covered with a deck. Atop the deck may be a deckhouse and other superstructures, such as a funnel, der ...

, where the moving hull's weight is supported by buoyancy alone and it must displace water from its path rather than planing on the water's surface ** Displacement speed, a rule of thumb for non planing watercraft to estimate their theoretical maximum speed **

Displacement (ship) The displacement or displacement tonnage of a ship is its weight. As the term indicates, it is measured indirectly, using Archimedes' principle, by first calculating the volume of water displaced by the ship, then converting that value into wei ...

, several related measurements of a ship's weight *

Insulation displacement connector An insulation-displacement contact (IDC), also known as insulation-piercing contact (IPC), is an electrical connector designed to be connected to the conductor(s) of an insulated cable by a connection process which forces a selectively sharpe ...

, a type of electrical connector *

Displacement mapping Displacement mapping is an alternative computer graphics technique in contrast to bump, normal, and parallax mapping, using a texture or height map to cause an effect where the actual geometric position of points over the textured surface are ' ...

, a technique in 3D computer graphics

Chemistry

Single displacement reaction A single-displacement reaction, also known as single replacement reaction or exchange reaction, is a chemical reaction in which one element is replaced by another in a compound. It can be represented generically as: :A + BC -> AC + B where eithe ...

, a chemical reaction concerning the exchange of ions *

Double displacement reaction A salt metathesis reaction, sometimes called a double displacement reaction, is a chemical process involving the exchange of bonds between two reacting chemical species which results in the creation of products with similar or identical bonding a ...

, a chemical reaction concerning the exchange of ions *

Radioactive displacement law of Fajans and Soddy The law of radioactive displacements, also known as Fajans's and Soddy's law, in radiochemistry and nuclear physics, is a rule governing the Nuclear transmutation, transmutation of elements during radioactive decay. It is named after Frederick Sod ...

, elements/isotopes created during radioactive decay

Geology

*Earth Crustal Displacement, an aspect of the

Pole shift hypothesis The cataclysmic pole shift hypothesis is a pseudo-scientific claim that there have been recent, geologically rapid shifts in the axis of rotation of Earth, causing calamities such as floods and tectonic events or relatively rapid climate change ...

Medicine

Displacement (orthopedic surgery) A bone fracture (abbreviated FRX or Fx, Fx, or #) is a medical condition in which there is a partial or complete break in the continuity of any bone in the body. In more severe cases, the bone may be broken into several fragments, known as a '' ...

, change in alignment of the fracture fragments

Social sciences

Displacement (linguistics) In linguistics, displacement is the capability of language to communicate about things that are not immediately present (spatially or temporally); i.e., things that are either not here or are not here now. In 1960, Charles F. Hockett proposed displ ...

, the ability of humans (and possibly some animals) to communicate ideas that are remote in time and/or space *

Forced displacement Forced displacement (also forced migration) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR defines 'forced displacement' as follows: dis ...

, by persecution or violence *

Displacement (psychology) In psychology, displacement (german: Verschiebung, lit=shift, move) is an unconscious defence mechanism whereby the mind substitutes either a new aim or a new object for goals felt in their original form to be dangerous or unacceptable. Freud The ...

, a sub-conscious defense mechanism *

Displacement (parapsychology) Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena (extrasensory perception, telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry) and other paranormal claims, for example, those related to near- ...

, a statistical or qualitative correspondence between targets and responses. *

Development-induced displacement Development-induced displacement and resettlement (DIDR) occurs when people are forced to leave their homes in a development-driven form of forced migration. Historically, it has been associated with the construction of dams for hydroelectric power ...

, the displacement of population for economic development *

Displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and Physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...

may occur during gentrification.

Sport

Displacement (fencing) In fencing, a displacement is a movement that avoids or dodges an attack. Fencers commonly use displacement when attacking while not having priority. Attacking into the opponent's right-of-way is known as a ''counter-attack''. If both fencers land ...

, a movement that avoids or dodges an attack

Other

Child displacement Child displacement is the complete removal or separation of children from their parents and immediate family or settings in which they have initially been reared. Displaced children includes varying categories of children who experience separation ...