Uniform Motion vs Non Uniform Motion
The concept of motion is an important one in the study of physics at school level. Besides Newton’s Laws of Motion, a student has to grasp the difference between uniform motion and non uniform motion to be able to solve mathematical problems. This article attempts to differentiate between these two types of motions to make them clearer.
A moving body that travels equal distances in equal time intervals is said to be in a state of uniform motion. Though in real life, it is difficult to find such motion, a car that is moving at a constant velocity over a stretch of time is said to be in a uniform state of motion. On the other hand, a moving body that travels unequal distances in equal time intervals is said to be in a state of non uniform motion.
It is clear then that to be in a state of uniform motion, there should be no change in the velocity of the moving body which also means that there should be no acceleration and the body must have same speed over the distance covered. On the other hand, in non uniform motion, the velocity of the moving objects changes several times and it also accelerates and decelerates.
There are also examples of both uniform and non uniform motions in a circular path. For example, the pendulum of a clock moves in a semi circle at varying speeds as at the highest point, the velocity becomes zero while it is maximum at the bottom most point.
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In brief: • The concepts of uniform and non uniform motion are extremely important in physics. • Uniform motion refers to a moving object at the same velocity traveling equal distances in equal intervals of time • A moving body is said to be in a non uniform motion state if it travels unequal distances in equal periods of time.
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