DifferenceBetween.com

Compare and Discern the Clear Difference Between Any Similar Things

Home » Difference between Circular Motion and Rotational Motion

Difference between Circular Motion and Rotational Motion

April 26, 2011 Posted by Olivia

Circular Motion vs Rotational Motion

Circular motion and rotational motion are two special types of motions in the study of motion in physics. Though both types of motions have similarities, there are obvious differences that need to be explained. People are confused between the concepts involved in a circular and a rotational motion. This article will highlight the differences to make the concept clearer in the minds of readers.

Circular motion is the motion of a body around another body in a circular orbit. For example, motion of moon around earth in a circular orbit is an example of circular motion. If you tie a stone with string and start moving it around yourself, the stone is said to be in a circular motion. On the other hand, if you are moving around on an axis you are said to be in a rotational motion. Therefore, rotational motion is described as one around an axis. If a toy train is moving on a circular track, it is said to have a circular motion but if you are driving your car on a circular track, it has circular motion and also rotational motion as the tires of the car are moving around an axis which is its axle.

You must have seen kids spinning their beyblades. These objects run furiously around an axis and thus have a rotational motion. If a rotating object does not move from its place, it only has rotational motion but if it also moves in an orbit, it is said to have both types of motion. Earth has both circular as well as rotational motion when moving in an orbit around the sun. Circular motion it is which causes day and nights on earth whereas rotational motion causes weathers around the year.

Difference between Circular Motion and Rotational Motion

• Circular motion means a body is moving in an orbit and always has a starting point to which it will eventually return

• Rotational motion means the body is turning around itself. The best examples are a spin top and earth moving on its own axis around the sun. Wheels turning on a car are also an example of rotational motion.

Related posts:

Difference Between Power and Torque Difference Between Volume and Capacity Difference Between Aperture and F-Stop Difference Between Celsius and FahrenheitDifference Between Celsius and Fahrenheit Difference Between Geothermal Energy and Fossil Fuels Energy

Filed Under: Physics Tagged With: circular motion, Circular motion and rotational motion, Examples of circular motion, Examples of rotational motion, rotational motion, rotational motion and circular motion

About the Author: Olivia

Olivia is a Graduate in Electronic Engineering with HR, Training & Development background and has over 15 years of field experience.

Comments

  1. anuj kumar says

    November 14, 2014 at 7:01 pm

    what is the common rotation motion and circular motion

    Reply
    • Divyang Arora says

      May 9, 2015 at 4:04 pm

      a body performing both rotational as well as circular motion. eg earth’s movement around sun is circular motion (precisely, elliptical motion) while it rotates around its own axis.

      Reply
  2. Divyang Arora says

    May 9, 2015 at 4:00 pm

    the line u wrote “Circular motion it is which causes day and nights on earth whereas rotational motion causes weathers around the year.” Isn’t it wrong? you hv written the opposite. Rotation of earth takes place in almost 24 hrs. it causes day and night . while earth’s circular motion takes place in 365 days. they would cause weather changes. Also depend on many other factors.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Request Article

Featured Posts

Difference Between Alzheimers and Dementia

Difference Between Alzheimers and Dementia

Difference Between Which and What

Difference Between Which and What

Difference Between To and For in English Grammar

Difference Between To and For in English Grammar

Difference Between Then and Than in English Grammar

Difference Between Then and Than in English Grammar

You May Like

Difference Between Republicans and Conservatives

Difference Between Neurilemma and Myelin Sheath

Difference Between Neurilemma and Myelin Sheath

Difference Between Frustration and Depression

Difference Between Frustration and Depression

Difference Between Enfamil and Similac

Difference Between Broad and Wide

Latest Posts

  • Difference Between Fetal and Embryonic Stem Cells
  • Difference Between Ribozymes and Protein Enzymes
  • Difference Between Biotin and Keratin
  • Difference Between Pergola and Verandah
  • Difference Between Cacophony and Dissonance
  • Difference Between Progenitor and Precursor Cells
  • Home
  • Vacancies
  • About
  • Request Article
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2010-2018 Difference Between. All rights reserved. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal.