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Year 7 Science — Motion and reference points

Use a reference point to decide whether something is moving, and tell linear, circular and oscillatory motion apart.

Name: ________________________

Before you start

Each thing in this park shows one of the three kinds of motion.

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  1. 1. Swing — oscillatory
  2. 2. Merry-go-round — circular
  3. 3. Slide — linear

The swing and the merry-go-round both come back to where they started, again and again. That is what makes them periodic.

  1. 1.A heavy box is pushed straight across a floor. Which kind of motion is that?

    • a) Linear motion
    • b) Oscillatory motion
    • c) Periodic motion
    • d) Circular motion

  2. 2.When is an object said to be in motion?

    • a) When it is heavier than the reference point
    • b) When it is not touching the ground
    • c) When it is making a noise
    • d) When its position changes with respect to the reference point over time

  3. 3.A metal strip is clamped at one end. You press the free end and release it, and it moves up and down. Which kind of motion is that?

    • a) Circular motion
    • b) Linear motion
    • c) Oscillatory motion
    • d) It does not move

  4. 4.Five friends were asked whether the garden was nearer than the school. They gave different answers and each was right. Why?

    • a) They were using different units of length
    • b) Some of them had been to the garden and some had not
    • c) The garden moves during the day
    • d) Each was measuring from their own house instead of from a shared point

  5. 5.An eraser hangs from a thread. You pull it to one side and let go. What does it do?

    • a) Moves to and fro, in the same way as a swing
    • b) Travels off in a straight line
    • c) Turns in a full circle
    • d) Stays exactly where you released it

  6. 6.Sort each of these by the kind of motion it shows.

    Groups: Linear motion · Circular motion · Oscillatory motion

    • A merry-go-round turning
    • A swing going back and forth
    • A metal strip pressed and released
    • An eraser whirled on a thread
    • A march-past at a parade
    • A dropped eraser falling
    • A pushed box sliding along the floor

  7. 7.An eraser is tied to a thread and whirled round and round. Which kind of motion is that?

    • a) Circular motion
    • b) Oscillatory motion
    • c) It does not move
    • d) Linear motion

  8. 8.Padma reads 'Delhi 70 km' on one kilometre stone and 'Delhi 60 km' on the next. What is the reference point here?

    • a) Delhi
    • b) Padma's grandparents
    • c) The bus
    • d) The kilometre stone

Answer key — Year 7 Science — Motion and reference points

  1. 1. a) Linear motion
  2. 2. d) When its position changes with respect to the reference point over time
  3. 3. c) Oscillatory motion
  4. 4. d) Each was measuring from their own house instead of from a shared point
  5. 5. a) Moves to and fro, in the same way as a swing
  6. 6. A dropped eraser falling → Linear motion; A march-past at a parade → Linear motion; A pushed box sliding along the floor → Linear motion; A merry-go-round turning → Circular motion; An eraser whirled on a thread → Circular motion; A swing going back and forth → Oscillatory motion; A metal strip pressed and released → Oscillatory motion
  7. 7. a) Circular motion
  8. 8. a) Delhi