Measurement of Distance and Motion - Notes


Measuring Length and Distance:

Various means of measurement, such as the palms, fingers, arm length and feet, were used to measure length and distance before standardized systems were introduced.

Non-standard measures: The lengths of steps, arms, hands, or fingers of different people are different, therefore the distance measured with their help is not always reliable. These methods are, therefore, called non-standard measures.

1 cubit = The length of the arm from the elbow's point to the end of the middle finger.

1 handspan The distance between the thumb and the little finger when it is stretched is known as hand-span.

1 footspan - The measurement of an object using your foot is called footspan.

 1 armlength - The measurement of an object using your arm is called armlength.








Disadvantages of Non-standard Units of Measurement: You have seen that arbitrary units are made up of lengths of different body parts. These lengths can vary from one person to another. This can create lot of confusion as there would be no uniformity in measurement.


Standard Measures:

In October 1960, the 12th General Conference on Weight and Measures adopted the International System of Units are called as SI Units, (named after the French word, Systems International d’Unites)  is the set of units to maintain uniformity all over the world.

SI Unit (International System of Units): It is the most widely used system of measurement in the world. It is based on MKS (Meter-Kilogram-Second) System. Length, weight and time are considered as basic quantities for measurement and other quantities are derived from them. As per SI system; the unit of length is meter, unit of weight is kilogram and the unit of time is second.

Motion:

The act, process or state of the change in place or position of a body with respect to time and relative to the observer is said to be motion. For example the blades of a rotating fan, the hands of a working wall clock, a moving car, a spinning top and satellites are all in motion.

Rest:

 When a body remains in one position for a long time, it is said to be at rest. For example, the chairs of the dining table are at rest unless and until they are moved, and the flower vase, table, and the blackboard in the class room are all at the position of rest.

Types of Motion

The various types of motion are:

  • Translatory motion – linear motion, curvilinear motion, circular motion, Random motion
  • Rotatory motion ( or Rotational motion)
  • Rolling motion
  • Periodic motion
  • Oscillatory and vibratory motions

   


 




Linear Motion: When the motion is in a straight line, it is called linear motion, e.g. a car moving on a straight road.

Curvilinear Motion: When the motion is on a curved path, it is called curvilinear motion, e.g. a car moving on a bend.

Random motion: When object moves from one position to another and changes direction in an irregular manner.

Example: butterfly flies randomly in garden.



Circular Motion: When the motion is on a circular path, it is called circular motion, e.g. the motion of the earth in its orbit, the blades of a fan.


Rotation: When an object moved around an axis, it is called rotation, e.g. rotation of the earth on its axis.




Rolling motion: Any motion containing both the rotational as well as translatory motion is rolling motion, e.g. motion of a bicycle wheel, the movement of a drill.




Periodic Motion: When the motion is repetitive after a fixed interval, it is called periodic motion, e.g. motion of a wing, motion of earth around the sun.




Oscillatory motion: The to-and–fro motion of a body along the same path is called oscillatory motion, e.g. a child on a swing.



Vibratory motion: Small and rapid to-and-fro movement of a body or a part of it from its mean position is called vibratory motion, e.g. vibrations in the string of a guitar.


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