Many of the objects we encounter in everyday life are in motion or have parts that are in motion. Motion is the rule, not the exception. The physical laws that govern the motion of these objects are universal, i.e. all the objects move according to the same rules.
When an object moves, its position changes as a function of time. A change in position is called a displacement. The position of an object is given relative to some agreed upon reference point. It is not enough to just specify the distance from the reference point. We also have to specify the direction. Distance is a scalar quantity, it is a number given in some units. Position is a vector quantity. It has a magnitude as well as a direction. The magnitude of a vector quantity is a number (with units) telling you how much of the quantity there is and the direction tells you which way it is pointing. In text, vector quantities are usually printed in boldface type or with an arrow above the symbol. Thus, while d = distance, d = displacement.
