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Class 6 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.Which pair of motions does the chapter call periodic?

    • a) Linear and oscillatory
    • b) Linear and circular
    • c) Circular and oscillatory
    • d) Linear on its own

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

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

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

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

  4. 4.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

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

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

  6. 6.A distance is stated with respect to a fixed object or point. What are those two words for that fixed point?

  7. 7.A tree stands in a field. Taking the ground as the reference point, what is the tree?

    • a) Neither, because a tree is a living thing
    • b) In motion, because it grows
    • c) In motion, because the Earth is turning
    • d) At rest, because its position does not change

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

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

Answer key — Class 6 Science — Motion and reference points

  1. 1. c) Circular and oscillatory
  2. 2. a) Each was measuring from their own house instead of from a shared point
  3. 3. a) When its position changes with respect to the reference point over time
  4. 4. a) Delhi
  5. 5. b) Moves to and fro, in the same way as a swing
  6. 6.
    • reference point
    • the reference point
  7. 7. d) At rest, because its position does not change
  8. 8. c) Linear motion