Uniform motion is a type of motion in which an object travels equal distances in fixed intervals of time. For example, if a car under cruise control travels at a fixed speed throughout the trip, this is an example of uniform motion. But, a car in city traffic will continuously change speeds, this is non-uniform motion. In this article, we discuss 10 examples of uniform motion.
Examples of uniform motion
- An airplane cruising at a steady speed
- The blades of a fan/propeller
- The revolution of Earth around the Sun
- Rotation of Earth around its axis
- A train going at a steady speed
- An artificial satellite orbiting the Earth
- A car moving on a highway with a fixed speed
- Hands of a clock
- Walking at a constant speed
- A ship cruising at a steady speed
Let us look at each one of the examples in detail to understand uniform motion.
An airplane cruising at a steady speed: An aircraft traveling at a steady speed travels at a uniform speed, which means it travels equal distances in fixed intervals of time. Certain factors like turbulence, turning, landing, etc. may cause some deviations in speeds that are non-uniform. But, in steady speed conditions, while cruising, we can consider it to be an example of uniform motion.
The blades of a fan/propeller: If you might have seen the blades of a fan, they rotate at a fixed speed. They don’t vary their speed unnecessarily unless and until it is changed by a regulator. Thus, the blades travel equal distances in fixed intervals, hence, this is also an example of uniform motion.
The revolution of Earth around the Sun: Our planet Earth revolves around the Sun every 365 days for 5 hours, 59 minutes, and 16 seconds. Thus, Earth travels equal distances in fixed intervals of time. It does not happen that one time it revolves in 200 days and the next time in 365 days.
Rotation of Earth around its axis: This example is similar to the revolution of the Earth around the Sun. But, here, the Earth rotates around its own axis. The planet Earth completes a rotation in 23 hours, and 56 minutes (which we say 24 hours/day). This process is uniform, we do not get a short or long day.
A train going at a steady speed: A train going at a steady speed is very smooth for the traveler. The train maintains a uniform speed, meaning it travels equal distances in a fixed interval of time. But while coming to a halt, there are many jerks and changes in speed, this is non-uniform motion.
An artificial satellite orbiting the Earth: This example of uniform motion is similar to the revolution of Earth around the Sun. The satellite revolves around the Earth in fixed orbits. The process is uniform, meaning the time for a complete revolution is fixed.
A car moving on a highway with a fixed speed: When we are driving on a highway, the road is clear of any traffic, and we can drive smoothly. And especially if we put the car on cruise mode, the car will automatically cruise at the specified speed. There is no variation in speed. Hence, this is an example of uniform motion. But, this is not the case while driving in city traffic. We are constantly stopped by traffic lights and heavy traffic at peak hours. It is almost impossible to maintain a uniform speed. This is an example of non-uniform motion.
Hands of a clock: The distance traveled by the hands of a clock is fixed in fixed intervals of time. meaning that when an hour hand moves one unit distance, we say one hour has passed. When a second’s hand moves one unit, we say 5 seconds have passed. Since this movement is uniform, we are able to find the time. If it moved one unit in 10 seconds and the other in 1 second, then we would never be able to guess time.
Walking with a constant speed: When we walk with a constant speed, we are in uniform motion. But this is not always possible, as we may get tired or there might be some other obstacles.
A ship cruising at a steady speed: A ship is always seen as moving very smoothly in the water. This is due to the uniform motion in which it cruises smoothly over the water.
See Also
- 15 Examples of inertia of motion
- 10 Examples of inertia of rest
- Examples of newtons first law of motion
- 15 Examples of newtons third law of motion
- Examples of periodic motion
- Examples of non-periodic motion
- Non-uniform motion examples
- Examples of projectile motion
- Maximum height of a projectile formula
- Newton’s second law of motion examples
