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How does a car actually move? And are we really moving when we are traveling inside a car? The answer to this question could be a yes or it could be a no. All these questions can be answered by virtue of just one concept i.e. motion. Motion in general can be defined as the phenomenon in which an object changes its position over time. We shall have a detailed discussion about this in our present blog.

<h2 id="content-id-1862-0">Rest and Motion</h2>

An object is said to be at rest if it does not change its position w.r.t. its surroundings with the passage of time example, a book lying on a table.

An object is said to be in motion if it changes its position w.r.t. its surroundings with the passage of time example, a train moving on rails. Rest and motion are relative terms.

A passenger sitting in a moving train is at rest with respect to his fellow passengers but he is in motion with respect to the objects outside the train. Thus, an object may be at rest w.r.t. one object and at the same time it may be relatively in motion with respect to another object. Hence rest and motion are relative terms.

<h2 id="content-id-1862-1">Distance and Displacement</h2>

Distance or path length is the length of the actual path travelled by a body between its initial and final positions. Suppose a body moves from position A to C through B.

Distance covered = AB + BC 

It is a scalar quantity because it has only magnitude and no direction. Distance covered is never negative (it can be either positive or zero) and SI unit is metre (m).

Displacement of an object is the change in the position of an object in a fixed direction. It can also be defined as the shortest (or the straight line) path measured in the direction from initial point to the final point.

Displacement = AB

It is a vector quantity as it has both magnitude and direction. It can be positive, negative or zero. SI unit is metre (m).

<h2 id="content-id-1862-2">Speed</h2>

The rate of change of position of an object with time in any direction is called its speed. It is equal to the distance travelled by the object per unit time. 

Speed = Distance Travelled / Time taken

Speed has only magnitude and no direction, so it is a scalar quantity. Speed may be positive or zero but it is never negative. Its SI unit is ms-1 .

Different types of speed

<ul>
	<li>Uniform speed: An object is said to be moving with uniform speed, if it covers equal distances in equal intervals of time.</li>
	<li>Variable speed: An object is said to be moving with variable speed if it covers unequal distances in equal intervals of time.</li>
	<li>Average speed: For an object moving with variable speed, the average speed is the total distance travelled by the object divided by the total time taken to cover that distance. Average Speed = Total Distance travelled / total taken time</li>
	<li>Instantaneous speed: The speed of an object at any particular instant of time or at a particular point of its path is called instantaneous speed of the object.</li>
</ul>

<h2 id="content-id-1862-3">Velocity</h2>

The rate of change of position of an object with time in a given direction is called its velocity. It can also be defined as the speed of an object in a given direction. It is equal to the displacement covered per unit time.

Velocity = Displacement / time

It is a vector quantity, can be zero, positive or negative depending on the displacement being positive, zero or negative. Its SI unit is ms-1 .

Different types of velocity:

<ul>
	<li>Uniform velocity: An object is said to be moving with uniform velocity, if it covers equal displacements in equal intervals of time.</li>
	<li>Variable velocity: An object is said to be moving with variable velocity if either its speed changes or direction changes or both change with time.</li>
	<li>Average velocity: For an object moving with variable velocity, the average velocity is the total displacement travelled by the object divided by the total time taken to cover that displacement. Average velocity = total displacement / total time</li>
	<li>Instantaneous velocity: The velocity of an object at any particular instance of time or at a particular point of its path is called instantaneous velocity of the object.</li>
</ul>

Uniform Motion: An object is said to be in uniform motion if it covers equal distances in equal intervals of time, in the same fixed direction.

Non-Uniform Motion: A body is said to be in non-uniform motion if its velocity changes with time. Here either the speed of the body or its direction of motion or both change with time.

Acceleration: Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity with time. It tells how fast the velocity of an object changes with time. Acceleration = Change in velocity / time taken Acceleration is a vector quantity and it has the same direction as that of the change in velocity. SI unit is ms-2 .

This was all about the basic concept of motion. Stay tuned for more.

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