Rectilinear Motion of Particles - Meaning, Example, Types, FAQs
Motion is one of the most common phenomena observed in our daily life. A moving car, a child running on the road, or a bird flying in the sky are all examples of motion. In physics, a body is said to be in motion when it changes its position with respect to time and a reference point. Based on the path followed by an object, motion is classified into different types such as rectilinear motion, projectile motion, circular motion, and rotational motion. In this article, we will focus only on rectilinear motion, which is also known as linear motion. Rectilinear motion refers to the motion of an object along a straight line and forms the basic foundation for understanding kinematics and motion-related concepts in physics.
This Story also Contains
- What is Rectilinear Motion?
- Example of Rectilinear Motion of a Particle-
- Characteristics of Rectilinear Motions -
- Difference Between Linear Motion and Rectilinear Motion
What is Rectilinear Motion?
Rectilinear motion is the motion of an object along a straight line. In this type of motion, a body moves in only one direction or along a single straight path.
Examples of rectilinear motion include a car moving on a straight road, a train on a straight track, or a stone falling vertically downward. Rectilinear motion can be uniform (constant speed) or non-uniform (changing speed).
Types of Rectilinear Motion-
There are three different types of rectilinear motion:
- Uniform rectilinear motion occurs when an item moves at a constant speed with no acceleration.
- Uniformly accelerated rectilinear motion occurs when an object moves with a consistent rate of acceleration.
- Rectilinear movement with non-uniform acceleration: A rectilinear movement with non-uniform acceleration occurs when an object moves at an uneven speed and acceleration.
Example of Rectilinear Motion of a Particle-
- Free fall under gravity and the simple harmonic motion of a mass linked to a spring are examples of the rectilinear motion of a particle.
- Elevators are an example of rectilinear motion is of rectilinear mobility in public areas.
- Rectilinear motion is caused by gravitational forces acting on objects, culminating in free fall.
- The motion of children sliding down a slide is rectilinear.
- Planes in the sky move in a rectilinear pattern.
Characteristics of Rectilinear Motions -
- It follows a straight-line path.
- It lacks normal (centripetal) acceleration, which, as you may recall, is what causes the motion to shift direction..
Mathematical form of motion-
A one-dimensional reference frame with an axis (X-axis) and an origin at O (x = 0) is used to qualitatively evaluate rectilinear motion.
Distance and Displacement
Distance: Distance is the total length of the actual path travelled by an object, irrespective of its direction. It is a scalar quantity and is always positive.
Displacement: Displacement is the shortest straight-line distance between the initial and final positions of an object, along with its direction. It is a vector quantity and can be positive, negative, or zero.
Speed and Velocity
Speed: Speed is defined as the distance travelled by a body per unit time. It indicates how fast a body is moving, irrespective of its direction. Speed is a scalar quantity and is always positive.
$
\text { Speed }=\frac{\text { Distance }}{\text { Time }}
$
Velocity: Velocity is defined as the displacement of a body per unit time in a given direction. It specifies both the magnitude and the direction of motion. Velocity is a vector quantity and may be positive, negative, or zero.
$
\text { Velocity }=\frac{\text { Displacement }}{\text { Time }}
$
Thus, speed describes how fast an object moves, while velocity describes how fast and in which direction it moves.
Difference Between Linear Motion and Rectilinear Motion
| Linear Motion | Rectilinear Motion |
| Motion of a body along a straight or curved line. | Motion of a body along a straight line only. |
| Path may be straight or curved. | Path is always straight. |
| Rectilinear motion is a special case of linear motion. | It is a type of linear motion. |
| Example: motion of a car on a curved road. | Example: motion of a train on a straight track. |
Also, check-
- NCERT Exemplar Class 11th Physics Solutions
- NCERT Exemplar Class 12th Physics Solutions
- NCERT Exemplar Solutions for All Subjects
NCERT Physics Notes:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
There are three types of rectilinear motion:
The motion of a body with zero acceleration is known as uniform motion. There is no net force operating on the body.
Uniformly accelerated motion is defined as motion with a non-zero constant acceleration and a constant net force on the system.
Non-uniform acceleration motion. The system is subjected to a variable force.
Linear motion is an object's natural motion: it moves in a straight path. Newton's First Law of Motion states that an item that is not affected by any force will continue in a straight line eternally.
In everyday life, there are many examples of linear motion, such as when an athlete runs on a straight track. Linear motion is used on a regular basis. A car travelling down a straight road is an illustration of this. Cars, in fact, alternate between linear and circular motion all the time.
Rectilinear motion describes the movement of an object in a straight line. A train on a track, a parade, and coins hurled in the air are all examples of rectilinear motion. The motion of an object that moves at a given distance from a fixed point is known as circular motion. All of the objects in this scene rotate in a circular manner.
