What are the Different Types of Motion with Examples?

Motion is defined as when an object or body changes its position, speed, direction, and acceleration within a time period, while when a body does not change its position with time, we can say that the object is at rest. There are various types of motion which are mainly classified into linear motion, rotatory motion, and oscillatory motion. Other examples usually include random motion, circular motion, and uniform and non-uniform motion. Let’s find out how is motion important in your daily life and the types of motion with examples. To know further about how many motions are there in science and the most common type of motion keep on reading. 

1. Who introduced the Concept of Motion?

The concept of motion was first introduced by Sir Isaac Newton, and he wrote Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, which was first published in Latin on July 5, 1687. This was a widely renowned book on physics and possibly on all sciences. His work is believed to be the most influential and he also introduced three laws of Newton’s, which are:

• A body at rest will stay at rest, and a body in motion will stay in motion unless it is acted upon by an external force on the object.
• Force is defined as the weight (or mass times acceleration).
• Every action has an equal and opposing reaction.

2. What caused Motion?

A force is termed as a push or pull of an object. Forces cause motion to move something. You need to apply a push or a pull without force and the object will be at rest or will keep moving without speeding up. (See What are Examples of Pulleys in Everyday Life?)

3. How many Motions are there in Science?

According to the nature of the movement, motion is mainly classified into three types, which are:

• Linear Motion
• Rotary Motion
• Oscillatory Motion

4. How many Types of Motion do You see around you?

A body is said to be in motion if it changes its position with regard to its surroundings. There are types of motion with examples that we can see around us in our daily life, like translatory motion, rotatory motion, circular motion, periodic motion, non-uniform motion, etc.

• Translatory motion is the motion in which all particles of the body move the same distance at the same time. For example, pulling a drawer, bowling, gunfire, etc. are examples of translatory motion around you.
• Rectilinear motion is said to be present if an object or particle moves along a straight line. For example, a train moving on a straight track or a car moving on a straight road, children sliding down a slide, an apple falling from a tree, etc. are examples of rectilinear motion you see around you.
• Circulatory motion is the movement of the body along a circular path, which means along a path whose every boundary point is equidistant from a fixed point, which is the center point. For example, the movement of planets around the sun, a giant wheel, a bicycle, a car moving on a circular track in a park, etc. are examples of circulatory motion around you.
• Non-uniform motion occurs when a given body travels unequal distances in a given set of time intervals. To represent the path of a body moving in non-uniform motion on a graph, it will be a curved line. For example, a man walking on the road, a freely falling body, a train moving at various speed limits, etc. are examples of non-uniform motion around you.
• Periodic motion is a motion that will be repeated after a certain period. The period is termed as the time taken to complete one cycle of motion. A motion that repeats in equal intervals of time is known as periodic motion. For example, a rocking chair, moving pendulums, the hands of a working clock, the earth rotating on its axis, etc. are examples of periodic motion around you.

5. What are the Different Types of Motion with Examples?

Now let us understand the types of motion with examples:

• Linear motion: An object is said to be in linear motion as it moves in a straight line. Examples: an athlete running on a straight track and a particle falling vertically downwards to the Earth.
• Circular motion: A motion described by an object moving in a circular path. Examples: the whirling motion of a stone attached to a string and the motion of a satellite around the Earth.
• Rotational motion: If anybody moves in a rotational motion around an axis, this type of motion is called rotational motion. During rotation, every point in the object moves in a circular path about an axis. Examples: the spinning of the earth about its axis.
• Vibratory motion: If an object or particle displays a rapid back-and-forth motion about a fixed point when its equilibrium condition is disrupted. For example, vocal cords, the vibration of a string on a guitar, movement of a swing, etc. This motion is sometimes also called oscillatory motion. 

6. What is the Most Common Type of Motion?

In our day-to-day lives, among all the types of motion with examples, the most common type of motion is known as general motion, which is a combination of linear and rotary motions. This type of motion is seen in sports and physical exercises like running and walking, which are some examples of common types of motion. (See What is the Importance of Matter?)

7. How is Motion used in Everyday Life?

Do you know that motion important in your daily life and is common? For instance, the vehicle you are in moves, as does the earth, the air we breathe, the blood in our veins, and the universe moving, we use force to walk on the road, to throw a cricket ball, or to move a given body by some particular speed or direction, to lift the objects, etc. These represent types of motion with examples and movements we do or see in our lives. (See What is the Importance of Transportation in your Life?) 

8. Why is Motion Important in your Daily Life?

Ask yourself how is motion important in your daily life. Motion or movement is a fundamental aspect of life. Although it doesn’t always require effort, movement is more than just exercise and does require action. Everything is impacted by movement, including immunity, digestion, and metabolism. Our bodies detoxify, breathe, and control hormone activity when we move. Must read How Is Energy Measured?

9. What is Human Motion called?

The study of human motion is known as kinesiology. There are several types of motion with examples that are performed by the human body. Kinesiology, referred to as human kinetics, is the field of science that examines how both human and non-human bodies move. Motion is involved in various events, like world-class gymnasts, athletes, and dancers, who perform varying degrees of human motion to perform these tasks.

Newton’s first law states that, in general, a body at rest stays at rest, while a body in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by motion. This is also known as inertia and applies to the human body and its human motion. (Read What Instrument is Used to Measure Mass of an Object?)

10. What is the Random Motion?

Random motion is defined as the motion of an object with no specific path, and it is a type of motion in which the direction and speed of an object change continuously. It is an unpredictable kind of motion where an object moves in any direction and the direction keeps changing continuously. Common examples of random motion are clouds in motion, bees flying in any direction toward a flower, the movement of birds, helium balloons, kites flying through the sky, etc. (See What Type of Energy is produced by Friction?)

11. What is Uniform Motion?

This kind of motion is described as an object moving in a straight line while maintaining a constant speed along that line. It covers equal distances at equal intervals of time, irrespective of the duration of the time. When a body is in uniform motion, it moves at a consistent speed, which means the acceleration of the object is zero. Therefore, it covers the same amount of distance in any given interval of time, no matter how long or short the interval is. When the data from an object in uniform motion is collected and plotted on a graph, it will always be a straight line.

To explain this further, imagine a train moving at a speed of 10 meters per second in uniform motion. It would signify that it will cover 10 meters every second consistently, no matter if you record the data for 1 second or 20 seconds the distance will always remain constant. (See Can Electricity Travel through Wet Ground?)

12. Which is an Example of Rotatory Motion?

If an object rotates or spins around its axis, it is said to be in rotational motion. Examples of rotatory motion are the spinning top, rotation of the earth and other planets, wheels, and drill bits that rotate about their axis. (See What is Revolution and Rotation?)

13. What is Oscillatory Motion Example?

The movement to and fro repeatedly about a mean position is called oscillatory motion. Examples of oscillatory motion are the oscillations of a simple pendulum, vibrations of a mass attached to a spring, etc. 

When an object changes its position with respect to its surroundings, it is said to be moving, and a moving object is known to demonstrate motion. You observe this phenomenon in your daily lives without even realizing how is motion important in your daily life, but even for our survival, all explainable types of motion with examples come together to form the basic activities of our lifestyle. For example, a car is in motion when being driven and the blood pumping through our veins is also in motion, so it can be said that motion is an omnipresent phenomenon.

Therefore, now you must be aware of the different types of motion with examples, how many motions are there in science, and the most common type of motion. (See Which is Not an Example of Matter?)