WHAT IS ABSOLUTE MOTION? (WITH EXAMPLES) - SCIENCE - 2025

The absolute movement is movement that is not dependent on any external source acting on the moving object existence or specific nature. In navigation, absolute motion is also a motion relative to a fixed point on the Earth's surface or to some apparently fixed point in the sky.

In physics, the absolute motion of an object is described by its measurements in a frame of reference that is preferred over other frames. It must be remembered that any change of place of an object or body means a movement. There are two types of movements: absolute movement and relative movement.

Movement can be defined as absolute when it refers to a point that is stationary; On the other hand, a movement can be considered relative when the reference point moves at the same time.

That said, on planet Earth all movements are relative since there is nothing in the universe that can be defined as in a state of absolute rest. Remember that the Earth itself moves on its own axis and also around the sun.

Absolute motion concept

A movement can be said to be absolute or eternal when it refers to a point that is still.

Absolute motion is that which exists independently of any other relationship or comparison, such as the mass of a body - which would be an absolute value because it does not depend on where it is located.

The absolute nature of the movement also implies rest, since this would be an essential condition for the development of the world.

For these reasons, absolute motion is considered a method of abstraction. Absolute movement is useful when thinking about a movement from a fixed reference system.

Examples of absolute motion

- If you see the sun from planet Earth, the inhabitants of the planet are those who are moving around it. But despite this, the movement of the sun is almost absolute in the daily life on Earth.

- If a falling object is observed, gravity would cause an absolute movement on the glass that a person tripped over and that causes the water to fall on the floor of the room. In this case it would not be important that with respect to the sun the glass would be moving in a direction opposite to the one that falls.

- If the terrestrial translation is observed by viewing it exclusively from the sun, regardless of whether the sun in turn is rotating around the center of a galaxy.

- If the movement of a cyclist is observed, from the point of view of a pedestrian waiting at the traffic light, it would be an absolute movement compared to its stillness.

- If the movement of a bullet is observed, the bullet would be considered as the moving object going towards its destination; even though the gun is moving (which it probably is) or if the weapon is moving as a result of the recoil from the shot.

- If an object is observed at rest in a fully controlled environment, it may be noted that it remains completely at rest. However, it is known that the tectonic plates located under the planet Earth never stop moving.

Differences between absolute motion and relative motion

On the other hand, relative motion refers to a motion of some other object or system. It is said to be relative because it must always refer to a particular referential system that is chosen by its observer.

Since several observers can have different references, it is considered important to relate the observations made by them.

Two modes of relative motion can be considered: the relative motion between two particles in the same frame of reference, and the motion of a particle in two different frames of reference in motion but relative to each other.

When it comes to the motion of a particle in two referentials, it refers to the motion that a particle has with respect to a reference frame (xyz), which is called relative referential with respect to another referential frame (XYZ), which it is considered as an absolute referential.

The movement of one referential with respect to another can be considered as a translation, a rotation, or a combination of both.

It should be remembered that a particle can be considered as moving at a reference point if its position with respect to it changes over time.

Examples of relative motion

- If a person runs from one car to another in a moving subway: the person is backing up on a moving subway; This means that in reality it does not go back, but neither does it advance, or both at the same time.

- If a person flies in an airplane that moves in the opposite direction to the Earth's rotation: this means that the planet Earth rotates and the person in turn rotates with it, but at the same time the person would be heading in the opposite direction.

- If a person is on the platform of a train: the person will be able to see the train moving through the station, but a person who is inside the train will see the platforms as if they were the ones in motion.

- If a rocket that goes into space moves away from planet Earth that moves away in its orbit: if it is seen from planet Earth, it would be the rocket that is in motion, despite the fact that the rocket is forming part of the planet's orbital displacement. I would only exit the scroll until I completely abandon it.

References

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