Introduction to Motion

People are well aware of the concept of motion or the word motion. This is one word that people often use and it is used widely in the field of physics. CBSE class 10 students of physics are introduced to the concept of motion which plays an important role in the field of physics as it helps build the foundation for future concepts.

Motion can be described as a change in direction and the movement of an object from the initial point to the final position. This article has provided an introduction to motion, different types of motion, and the different laws of motion which will help students master the concept. Read on to find out more about motion.

What is Motion?

Students know the idea and the meaning of motion, however, there are lot more details to motion. An object is said to be in motion when it changes its position in course of time in relation to a stationary object. It is important that students keep in mind that any particle in the universe that is moving is said to be in motion. For example, even the air that we breathe in is said to be in motion.

There are different terms that are related to motion which are essentials for students to know because it will give them a more clear idea of the concepts. The different terms that are associated with motion are as follows:

Distance
Displacement
Speed
Time

An example of motion is given in the image below

Here, displacement and distance are used to express the shift in the position of an object. As per the image above, the point A to B is the distance and displacement. Furthermore, speed is the time taken for the object to reach from point A to B and the speed of an object is determined by S=d/t.

Types of Motion

There are different types of motion which students need to aware of because every object moves differently. The different types of motion are linear motion, rotational motion, periodic motion, and so on. Students can in-depth explanation on the different types of motion in this article below.

Linear Motion

In linear motion, an object travels in a straight line or in a curved path from one point to another. There are two types of linear motion and they are as follows:

Rectilinear motion: In rectilinear motion, the object travels a straight line.
Curvilinear motion: In curvilinear motion, the object moves in a curved path.

Rotational Motion

In rotational motion, the object moves in a circular path around a fixed axis. One example, of rotational motion is the rotational movement of Earth in its own axis.

Periodic Motion

In periodic motion, the motion is repeated in equal intervals of time. For example, the swing of pendulum or the hand of a clock moves in a periodic motion.

Circular Motion

As the name suggests, in this type of motion the object follows a circular path. The centre of the object remains constant and the other parts are in motion. An example of circular motion would be the revolution of Earth or Moon.

Oscillatory Motion

An object is said to be in oscillatory motion when an object is moving to and fro from its mean position. One example of oscillatory motion would a girl swinging in a swing.

Laws of Motion

Motion follows certain laws in physics that explains the how a object moves. Sir Isaac Newton laid down three fundamental laws of motion that objects follows based on the ideas of Galileo that objects moves with a constant speed when no force acts on them. The three fundamental laws of motion which Newton proposed are as follows:

Newton’s First Law: The first law of motion states that an object in motion will not change its uniform motion unless there is an outside force that has acted upon it.
Newton’s Second Law: The second law of motion states that the change of momentum in an object is directly proportional to the applied force in the direction of the force.
Newton’s Third Law: The third law of motion states that when two objects interact the force applied to each other is of equal magnitude and in opposite direction.

Examples of Motion

For better understanding of how motion works some of real time examples of motion are given below:

When a person walks to school or work there is motion involved.
The movement of air and the oxygen that we breathe in are examples of motion.
The movement of an airplane from one direction to another is a perfect example of motion.

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