Types of Motion

Is it the trees or the train that’s moving. This question might wonder you every time you travel by train. Motion means movement. Everything that moves is said to be in motion, the speeds may be different though. In the chapter below, we will learn Motion and measurement. We will also see ways to differentiate between the different types of motions.

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What is Motion?

You see objects moving around you. From cars, cycles to humans, mosquitoes and animals. How do you decide that an object or body is moving? What is the motion of an object? An object is moving when you see a change in its position with time. For example, when you see an ant change its position,  you come to the conclusion that it is in motion.

But there may be some things which change position yet seem not to move, like the Earth. As a result, we define motion as the change in position of an object with respect to a given position.

Browse more Topics under Motion And Measurement Of Distances

• Evolution of Transport and Measurement of Distance

Types of Motions

The motion of an object shows its changing position, as discussed earlier. But varying objects show varying types of motion. Like for example, a fan is said to be in motion though it is static in its place or a hanging clock that shows motion though it is hanging in its position. We say that motion is mainly of three types: Rectilinear Motion, Circular Motion and Periodic Motion.

Rectilinear Motion

In a rectilinear motion, all the objects move along a single line. Some common examples of rectilinear motion are marching soldiers, moving cars, and moving animals. The common thing in all these examples is that they move in a single line.

Circular Motion

Have you noticed the motion of a fan? Some objects are moving even though they are fixed at some position. Here the fan undergoes circular motion. In the circular motion, the objects follow a circular path of motion without changing their position. It is the circular movement of fan that results in cool air. Some more examples of circular motion are the motion of a Ferry wheel, satellites and rotation of planets around the sun.

Periodic Motion

Have you ever seen a clock’s pendulum? It repeats its movement after a specific time. Physically the pendulum isn’t moving. It is fixed to some point, yet it shows motion. This kind of motion that repeats after a specific period of time is known as periodic motion. In the periodic motion, the movement made by these objects is called oscillation.

Since it repeats after a fixed period of time, it is named so!  Clocks and table fans are the most common examples. Some other examples of the periodic motion are a child’s motion on swings, the motion of the earth around the Sun, the motion of the moon around the earth.

The world around us is moving. Everything that we see is showing some kind of motion. Can you now chalk out a few examples that show all or at least more than one type of motion?

Solved Examples for You

Question: The motion of train and car belongs to:

1.  Translatory motion
2.  Rotatory motion
3.  To and fro motion
4. Spin motion

Solution: Option A. Trains and cars normally move along straight tracks and roads. So their motion is mostly translatory motion. Unless the track or the road is a perfect circle, the motion is not rotatory or to and fro. Thus our answer is the translatory motion.