RELATIVE MOTION
What is Relative Motion
Strictly speaking…all motion is relative to something.
Usually that something is a reference point that is
assumed to be at rest (i.e. the earth).
Motion can be relative to anything…even another
moving object.
Relative motion problems involve solving problems
with multiple moving objects which may or may not
have motion relative to the same reference point. In
fact, you may be given motion information relative to
each other.
Relative Velocity:
Equations written to relate motion to a
frame of reference.
Motion that depends on velocity of an
observer.
Motion relative to a frame of reference.
Notation for Relative Motion
We use a combination of subscripts to indicate what the quantity
represents and what it is relative to.
For example, “va/b” would indicate
the velocity of “object a” with respect
to “object b”. Object b in this
example is the reference point.
Note: The “reference
point” object is
assumed to be at rest.
What is this guy’s velocity?
He travels 4 meters in 2 seconds going east.
Use Compass on watch to find east.
What is this guy’s velocity?
1 Compared to the ground?
2 What velocity does the earth spin at?
3 What velocity do we revolve around the sun?
Section 3.3
What is this guys velocity?
So what is his frame of reference?
What about now?
What about now?
Frame of reference
A coordinate system from which all
measurements are made.
Definition – a coordinate system within which objects, positions, and
velocities are measured.
MUST PICK AN ORIGIN before you find speed and velocity.
Frame of reference
If two frames of reference are moving with constant velocity relative to each
other, the objects appear to move with their own velocity and the frame’s
velocity added together (remember that velocities are vectors).
1 –D Relative motion
If car A is moving 5m/s East and car B, is moving 2 m/s West, what is car A’s
speed relative to car B.
5 m/s 2 m/s
Car A Car B
So, we want to know…if we are sitting in car B, how fast does car A
seem to be approaching us? Common sense tells us that Car A is
coming at us at a rate of 7 m/s.
How do we reconcile that with the formulas?
1- D and the
vector addition formula
Let’s start with defining the reference frame for the values given. Both cars
have speeds given with respect to the earth.
Vb/e = -2 m/s
Va/e =5 m/s
Car A Car B
We are looking for the velocity of A with respect to B, so va/b = ?
If we set up the formula using the subscript alignment to tell us what to add,
we get…
va / e va / b vb / e Then we need to solve for va/b .
So…
va / b va / e vb / e
va / b 5 2 7m / s, East
Adding velocites.
Remember – Velocities are vectors.
Question – a “wing walker” is walking across the wings
of an airplane.
The airplanes velocity
is 20 m/s North.
His velocity is 4 m/s East.
What is his apparent
Velocity to someone on the
ground?
• An airplane drops a carepackage. Describe the
path taken by the care package as seen from the
airplane’s frame of reference.
• What about from the ground’s frame of
reference?
• If the airplane is speeding up with a
constant
acceleration, what would the package seem to
do?
Falling Care Package
The airplane is moving horizontally with a constant velocity of
+115 m/s at an altitude of 1050m.
Describe the motion of the package from the ground’s frame
Of reference.
Falling Care Package
Describe the motion of the package from the airplanes frame
Of reference.
Example Problem
A plane flies due north with an airspeed of 50 m/s, while
the wind is blowing 15 m/s due East. What is the speed
and direction of the plane with respect to the earth?
What do we know?
“Airspeed” means the speed of the
plane with respect to the air.
vp/a
“wind blowing” refers to speed of
the air with respect to the earth.
va / e
What are we looking for?
“speed” of the plane with respect vp/e
to the earth.
We know that the speed and heading of the plane
will be affected by both it’s airspeed and the wind v p / e v p / a va / e
velocity, so… just add the vectors.
Example Problem
(cont.)
v p / e v p / a va / e
So, we are adding these vectors…what does it look like?
Draw a diagram,of the vectors tip to tail! Solve it!
This one is fairly
va / e 15m / s
simple to solve
N once it is set
up…but, that can
be the tricky part.
v p / a 50m / s vp/e Let’s look at how
the vector
equation is put
together and how
θ it leads us to this
drawing.
How to write the
vector addition
formula
v p / e v p / a va / e
middle
same
first last
Note: We can use the subscripts to properly line up the
equation. We can then rearrange that equation to solve for any
of the vectors. Always draw the vector diagram, then you can
solve for any of the vector quantities that might be missing
using components or even the law of sines.
Crossing a River
The engine of a boat drives it across a river that is 1800m wide.
The velocity of the boat relative to the water is 4.0m/s directed
perpendicular to the current. The velocity of the water relative
to the shore is 2.0m/s.
(a) What is the velocity of the
boat relative to the shore?
(b) How long does it take for
the boat to cross the river?
(c) How far downstream does the
boat come to ground?
v v
BS vWS
BW
What do these subscripts means?
BS = Boat relative to Shore
BW = Boat relative to Water
WS = Water relative to Shore
v v
BS vWS
BW
vBS v 2
BW v
2
WS 4.0 m s 2.0 m s
2 2
4.5 m s
θ = Cos-1 ( X / H)
Cos-1 (2 / 4.5) = 63o
1800 m
t 450 s
4.0 m s
θ = Cos-1 ( X / H)
Cos-1 (2 / 4.5) = 63o
1800 Tan (90-63) =
1800 Tan (27) =
900m.
Also,
450s x 2 m/s = 900m
t 450s
Additional problems:
• A canoe has a velocity of .6 m/s relative to still water. A river has a current
of .5 m/s.
• Two docks are 1500 m apart on this river.
How long will it take this canoe to
make the round trip? (2 docks are on the same side of the river. Go down
stream and then back upstream.)
• How long would it have taken a person walking on land at .6 m/s?
Last comments on relative motion
I’m walking. What is the correct frame of reference?
Ground, center of earth, center of sun?
How do I test to find out?
Last comments on relative motion
There is no experiment you can perform to determine (there is no way to tell)
what frame of reference you are in.
So, there is no “correct” frame of reference. All are equally valid.
However, we usually pick the one that makes the math easiest to work.
Displacement is relative too!
Other quantities can be solved for in this way,
including displacement.
Remember that d=vt and so it is possible to see a
problem that may give you some displacement
information and other velocity information but not
enough of either to answer the question directly
When solving these, be very careful that all the
quantities on your diagram and in your vector formula
are alike (i.e. all velocity or all displacement). Do not
mix them!
