PHYSICS MOTION
Motion
Rest and Motion
If the position of an object does not change as time passes, then it is said to be at rest. If the position
of an object changes as time passes, then it is said to be in motion.
An object can be at rest with respect to one thing and in motion with respect to some other thing at the
same time. So, the states of rest and motion are relative only.
To locate the position of an object, we have to choose some suitable reference point called the
origin.
Distance and Displacement
The distance travelled by an object is the length of the actual path traversed by the object during
motion. It is a scalar quantity.
The displacement of an object in motion is the shortest distance between the initial position and the
final position of the object. It is a vector quantity.
The distance travelled by an object in motion can never be zero or negative.
The displacement of an object can be positive, zero or negative. Never can the distance travelled be
less than the displacement.
Both distance and displacement have the same units.
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PHYSICS MOTION
Uniform and Non-uniform Motion
Uniform motion
Motion
Non-uniform
motion
An object is said to be in uniform motion if it travels equal distances in equal intervals of time,
howsoever small the intervals may be.
An object is said to have non-uniform motion if it travels unequal distances in equal intervals of time.
Speed
Speed of a body is defined as the distance travelled by the body in unit time. The SI unit of speed is
metre/second (m/s).
Distance travelled
Speed
Time taken
s
If ‘s’ is the distance travelled by a body in time ‘t’, then its speed ‘v’ is given as v
t
Speed of a body is a scalar quantity. It can be zero or positive but can never be negative.
If a body covers equal distances in equal time intervals, howsoever small the intervals may be, then it
is said to have uniform speed (or constant speed).
If a body covers unequal distances in equal time intervals, however small the intervals may be, then it
is said to have non-uniform speed (or variable speed).
For bodies moving with non-uniform speed, we describe the rate of motion in terms of their average
speed.
Total distance travelled
Average speed=
Total time taken
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PHYSICS MOTION
Velocity
Velocity of a body is defined as the distance travelled by the body in unit time in a given direction.
The SI unit of velocity is the same as that of speed, i.e. metre/second (m/s).
Distance travelled in a given direction
Velocity
Time taken
Displacement
or, Velocity
Time taken
s
i.e. v
t
where v is velocity and s is displacement of the body in time t.
Velocity of a body is a vector quantity. It can be positive, negative or zero.
A body is said to be moving with uniform velocity (or constant velocity) if it travels along a straight
line, covering equal distances in equal intervals of time, howsoever small these intervals may be.
A body is said to be moving with non-uniform velocity (or variable velocity) if it covers unequal
distances in a particular direction in equal intervals of time or if the direction of motion of the body
changes.
When the velocity of a body is changing at a uniform rate over a period of time, the average velocity
for that time period is given by the arithmetic mean of the initial and final velocity of the body.
Initial velocity + Final velocity
Average velocity
2
u v
or v av
2
where ‘u’ is initial velocity, ‘v’ is final velocity and v av is average velocity.
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