People have wondered about motion for years. Some characteristics seem obvious, while others are difficult to understand. But, if you are studying science or are curious about things, you want to know more. This lesson will help satisfy your curiosity about these matters by giving a simple explanation of motion and the way things move. There is a mini-quiz at the end of this lesson.
Motion is simply the change in position over time.
If you looked at an object in one location, and when you looked at it later, it was in some different position, you say that it had moved. This seems so obvious, but the fact that objects move from one place to another is a basic feature of our universe. With living things, animals usually have the ability to move, while plants essentially stay in one place, although parts of the plants may move. Linear motion is motion in a straight line. Detecting motion To start the study of matter in motion, make some personal observations on what happens when objects start to move, are in motion, and start to stop moving.