What is Relative Motion? — Reading Comprehension

Relative motion means how something looks like it is moving depending on where you are watching from. Motion is not always the same for everyone. It depends on your position, or your point of view.

Imagine sitting in a car. To you, the seat next to you is not moving. But to a person standing on the sidewalk, your whole car—including the seat—is moving quickly down the road. This shows relative motion: motion seen differently depending on where the observer is.

Here’s another example. If you are riding a bus and toss a ball straight up, it comes back down into your hand. To you, it looks like the ball only moved up and down. But to someone standing outside the bus, the ball also moved forward with the bus. That person would say the ball went in a curve.

Relative motion teaches us that describing motion always needs a reference point. A reference point is something you compare motion to, like the ground, a seat, or the sidewalk. Without a reference point, it’s hard to explain how something is moving.
Relative motion helps scientists, pilots, and even drivers. By knowing that motion looks different from different spots, we can better understand how objects move in our world and in space.

Fun Fact: Astronauts on the International Space Station orbit Earth at about 17,500 miles per hour, but to each other, they look like they are just floating slowly inside the station!

What is relative motion?

What is a reference point?

Why does a ball look curved from outside a bus?

Why does the seat beside you seem still in a car?

What helps describe motion?

If you throw a ball on a train, who sees it move differently?

How can astronauts seem floating but move fast?

Which is a good reference point when walking?