Uniform vs Nonuniform Motion: Difference and Comparison

A shift in the coordinates of the group is referred to as movement. The reference body is indeed the object on which the activity is measured. No object in nature is complete – entirely at rest.

The route (or path) is the line the body follows as it moves. Courses can be straight or curved, and movement seems linear or nonlinear, depending on the path’s shape.

The much more fundamental motion is linear motion, which is further subdivided into uniform & non-uniform motion.

Key Takeaways

  1. Uniform motion involves an object moving at a constant speed in a straight line, while nonuniform motion features a change in speed or direction.
  2. Calculating uniform motion requires only the initial velocity, distance, and time, whereas nonuniform motion involves acceleration or deceleration.
  3. Nonuniform motion can be categorized into uniformly accelerated and nonuniformly accelerated motion based on the acceleration rate.

Uniform vs Nonuniform Motion

The difference between Uniform and Nonuniform motion is based on many factors and conditions. The main point of distinction between these is the change in speed. In uniform motion,, movement speed is steady, whereas Nonuniform motion represents the variable speed of an object in the time related to training.

Uniform vs Nonuniform Motion

The most basic mechanical motion is a homogeneous linear movement. It’s a consistent, uniform motion of such a matter point in such a single direction, as the name implies.

The speed of linear straight motion determines a movement in body position during a specific time interval.

Accelerated motion or Nonuniform motion is a subfield of kinematics concerned with velocity changes while moving. The instantaneous speed of a material point at a specified time or on a given trajectory is defined.

It’s also the average speed during a relatively short time, t. The ratio between velocity change to a period has been defined as acceleration.

Comparison Table

Parameters of ComparisonUniform MotionNonuniform Motion
SpeedSteadyVariable
AccelerationZeroRules can also change.
DirectionThe direction remains the sameDirections can also change.
DistanceFixed distance cover in a periodDifferent measures of distance cover in a period
GraphStraight-line graphCurved
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What is a Uniform Motion?

A uniform linear movement is the most basic combination of mechanical motion. The title suggests a constant-speed constant motion of a material point in such a straight line.

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The speed of linear straight motion determines a shift in the body position within such a given time interval.

The fundamental property of a unified linear motion is that the displacement is equivalent to the passed trajectory (range). We have said that a body moves at a constant speed when it travels equal length at equal time intervals.

The distance-time relationship to a linear uniform motion is always constant.

Constant velocity denotes that now the body makes similar movement patterns at equal intervals of time in a straight line, still in the same direction.

The above means that perhaps the distance travelled during the first second is the same as that in the second of the motion. In other phrases, the acceleration is 0.

In the particular instance of rotary (circular) motion, all parts of the object keep moving around circles in parallel planes, the centres of which are on the spin axis.

Equations trying to describe the cyclic movement can be deduced from the equation of translational motion by substituting the path s – angle of spinning (rad), velocity c – rotation speed (rad/s), & acceleration a – angular rotational acceleration (rad/s2) for the route s – edge of rotation (rad). For uniform process (ω  = const) in this case:

What is Nonuniform Motion?

Accelerated motion is a branch of kinematics that studies shifts in velocity while moving. A velocity of a material point at a specific moment in time or on a given trajectory is defined as its momentary speed.

It is also the average speed for a very brief time interval Δt. Acceleration has been defined as the ratio of velocity change to an interval of time. There is no acceleration if, indeed, the body remains stationary or moves at a constant speed.

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As a result, the acceleration could be expressed as an equation in the following way. The average speed is the ratio of the body’s total displacement to the size of the time interval.

The mean speed should never be determined by calculating an arithmetic average of the rates of various motion parts. Nonuniform motions are identified as uniform linear when the mean velocity is introduced.

A uniformly variable movement can be favourably accelerated (a > 0) or negatively accelerated (a < 0), and it can be moved without initial velocity (v0 = 0) or motion with initial velocity (v0 > 0). Guess it depends on the acceleration sign.

A uniformly varying motion has a steady acceleration. The above implies that any change in velocity divided up by time interval will result in the same acceleration value. Constant acceleration denotes a change in speed at equal intervals.

The expression: gives the basic equation for velocity in equally constant acceleration. In the case of variable velocity rotation (positively and negatively accelerated (α <0):

Main Differences Between Uniform and Non-uniform Motion

  1. The speed of an object is steady in uniform motion, whereas it is variable in the case of non-uniform motion.
  2. Acceleration is zero in uniform motion, whereas it can be zero, positive or negative when nonuniform motion is considered.
  3. Uniform motion is always in the same direction, but nonuniform motion also changes direction with time.
  4. Distance covered in a specific amount of time is the same in uniform motion, whereas nonuniform motion simultaneously represents a different amount of distance.
  5. A graph representing uniform motion is always a straight line in uniform motion, whereas it changes its representation to a curve when it represents nonuniform motion.
References
  1. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1068/p160143
  2. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/4408904/
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Piyush Yadav
Piyush Yadav

Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.

11 Comments

  1. This article certainly makes a point isn’t particularly revolutionary, but it provides a comprehensive introduction to a complex subject.

  2. The article covers the basics in a clear and concise manner, making it useful for students and educators.

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