13

Motion and Time NCF Competencies Covered:

Expected Learning Outcomes C-2.1, C-6.1 and C-7.1

Knowledge to be gained: •Types of motion •Speed •Uniform and non-uniform motion •Time
•Simple pendulum
Skills to be developed: •Plotting distance-time graphs for uniform and non-uniform motions
•Building a working simple pendulum

When you see a moving car on the road, you can TYPES OF MOTION NCF C-2.1
notice its position changing every second. At In Class VI, we learnt the different types of
one moment, you notice the car in front of a motion: rectilinear motion, circular motion,
particular shop or a house or a tree, and the very rotational motion and periodic motion. Let us
next moment, you can see it in front of another recall them.
stationary object. e position of the car keeps
u Rectilinear motion: Motion in a straight
changing with respect to its surroundings and
line is called rectilinear motion . e
you come to the conclusion that the car must be motion of a bicycle moving on a straight
moving. road is rectilinear motion (motion along a
Motion means movement. An object is said to straight line).
be in motion, if it changes its position with u Circular motion: A round path having the
respect to time. shape of a circle is called a circular path.
Also, an object is said to be at rest, if it does not When an object moves along a circular path,
change its position with respect to time. it is said to be in a circular motion. For
Motion and rest are relative terms. example, the Earth moves around the Sun in

Motion and Time 181

 a circular path (or circular orbit), so the over a train or a car, for a simple reason that the
motion of the Earth around the Sun is a aeroplane travels faster than a train or a car. It
circular motion. means that the distance covered by an aeroplane
u Rotational motion: When an object turns is much more than the distance covered by a car
(or spins) about a xed axis, it is called or a train in the same amount of time.
rotational motion. e Earth turns round Slow-moving air is called a breeze and is
and round on its axis like a spinning top, so pleasant to feel, while fast-moving air causes
the spinning of the Earth on its axis is an storms and tornados, which are disastrous.
example of rotational motion. e speed of an object is de ned as the
u Periodic motion : e motion which distance travelled by it per unit time.
repeats itself aer regular intervals of time, is To know precisely how fast or slow an object is
called periodic motion. Periodic motion moving, we need to measure the:
is also called oscillatory motion . e u distance travelled by the body; and
swinging of a pendulum is an example of
u time taken to travel this distance
periodic motion. Some other examples of
periodic motion are: motion of a swing, Distance travelled
Speed =
motion of hands of an athlete while running Time taken
a race, motion of a child on a see-saw, etc. Suppose, a car travels a distance of 100
SLOW AND FAST MOTION kilometres in 4 hours. e speed of this car is
You must have witnessed a moving car given by:
overtaking another moving car on the road. In 100 kilometres
Speed =
this situation, even though both the cars are 4 hours
moving, one car moves faster than the other car.
\ Speed = 25 kilometres per hour
is means that the distance covered in one
second by the faster car must be more than the us, the speed of this car is 25 kilometres per
distance covered by the slower car. hour. In other words, the car travels a distance of
25 kilometres every hour. e speed of 25
Having made similar observations about
kilometres per hour can be written in short
moving objects we witness daily, we come to the
form as 25 km/hr.
conclusion like: a bus moves faster than a
bicycle; and a train moves faster than a motor- In the above example, the speed of the moving
cycle. car comes out to be 25 km/hr. This could mean
that for every second the car was moving, its
SPEED
speed must have been constant at 25 km/hr for 4
ere are a number of situations in every day life hours. But this seems to be impractical; the car
where we witness the effect of speed. must have moved slower than 25 km/hr at some
If you have to travel to a distant city as quickly as moments and faster than 25 km/hr at other
possible, you will de nitely prefer an aeroplane moments.
182 Exploring Science-7
e conclusion that we arrive at, is that the car’s unit (SI unit) of speed is metre per second or
speed of 25 km/hr is the average speed of the car m/s. It represents the amount of distance
during that journey. (metre) travelled by the subject in a second.
Total distance travelled 2. e smaller values of speed are expressed in
Avg. Speed =
Total time taken the units of centimetre per second which is
e ‘total distance travelled’ divided by ‘total written in short form as cm/s.
time taken’ actually gives us the ‘average speed’ 3. Another unit of speed is metre per minute
of the car during that course of time. While (metre/minute) which is written in short form
travelling in a car, we have noticed that it is very as m/min.
difficult to keep the speed of the car at a constant 4. e large speed values are expressed in the
value because at many places, the brakes are to units of kilometre per hour which is written
be applied to slow down or to stop the car due to in short form as km/h or kmph.
various reasons. us, the speed of an object is
Speedometer and Odometer
usually not constant and the distance travelled
divided by time gives us the average speed An instrument on a vehicle’s dashboard which
during that time. When the road is straight, at indicates the speed of the vehicle when it is
and free, the speed may be much more than 25 running, is called a speedometer.
km per hour but on bends (curved roads), hills
or in a crowded area, the speed may fall well
below this average value. us:
Total distance travelled Speedometer
Avg. Speed =
Total time taken
We can rearrange this formula and get two other
relations for calculating the ‘Total Distance
travelled’ and ‘Total Time taken’ as follows:
1. One relation obtained by rearranging the Odometer
speed formula is: Fig.1 Speedometer and Odometer
Total distance travelled = Speed × Total time taken e speedometer has the symbol ‘km/hr’
2. Another relation obtained by rearranging written on its dial.
the speed formula is: In the vehicle, there is also an instrument called
an odometer. An odometer is an instrument for
Total time taken = Total distance travelled measuring the distance travelled by a vehicle. It
Average speed
records the distance travelled by a vehicle in
Units of Speed kilometres.
1. e standard unit of distance is metre (m) and We will now solve numerical problems based on
that of time is the second (s). So, the standard speed, distance and time.
Motion and Time 183
 Distance travelled Note: 36 km/h is the same speed as 10 m/s.
Speed =
Time taken km/h and m/s are just different units of
Distance travelled representing the speed.
Time taken =
Speed of the subject Numerical 3: Rakhee’s school bus took 30
Distance travelled = Speed × Time taken minutes to reach the school aer she boarded
it. If the bus moved continuously, with a speed
Numerical 1: Roma walked a distance of 270 of 25km/h, calculate the distance between
metres from her home to a park in 3 minutes. Rakhee’s school and home.
What was her speed during this walk?
Sol: Time taken by the bus = 30 min
Sol: Distance travelled = 270 m
= 30 h
Time taken = 3 min 60
Speed of the bus = 25 km/h
= 3 × 60 s = 180 s Distance
Speed =
Speed = ? Time
\Distance = Speed × Time
\ Speed = 270 m
180 s = 25 km/h × 30 h
\ Speed = 1.5 m/s 60
= 25 =12.5 km
us, the speed of Roma’s walk is 1.5 metre per 2
erefore, the distance between Rakhee’s school
second.
and home is 12.5 kilometre.
Numerical 2: A bus takes 45 minutes to cover a
Numerical 4: A bus moves at a speed of 40
distance of 27 km. Calculate its speed in km/h
km/h for 15 minutes and then at a speed of 60
and m/s.
km/h for the next 15 minutes. Calculate the
Sol: Here, distance travelled = 27 km total distance covered by the bus.
Time taken = 45 minutes
Sol: Here, in the rst case:
(we know 1 h = 60 minutes)
45 3 Speed = 40 km/h
\ 45 min = h = h 15
60 4 Time taken = 15 minutes = 60 = 1 h
Distance travelled 4
We know that, Speed = We know that, the distance travelled
Time taken
27 km 4 = Speed × Time taken
\ Speed of bus =
3/4 h = (
27 ×
3 ) km/h
= 40 km/h × 1 h
4
= 36 km/h
= 10 km
us, the speed of the bus is 36 km/h
\ Distance travelled = 10 km (in case 1)
We also know, 1 km = 1000 m
In the second case:
and, 1 h = 3600 s
Speed = 60 km/h
So, speed (in m/s) = 36 × 1000 m =10 m/s
1 × 3600 s Time taken = 15 minutes
erefore, the speed of the bus is 10 m/s. = 15 h = 1 h
60 4
184 Exploring Science-7
 Distance travelled = 60 km/h × 1 h \Distance covered by the car
4
= 15 km = (Final reading) – (Initial reading)
\ Distance travelled = 15 km (in case 2) = 57336.0 km – 57321.0 km
Total distance travelled = 10 km + 15 km = 15 km
= 25 km e distance travelled by the car is 15 km
us, the total distance covered by the bus is 25 Time taken = 8.50 a.m. – 8.30 a.m.
km. = 20 minutes
Numerical 5: e odometer of a car reads 20 h = 1 h
=
57321.0 km when the clock shows the time 60 3
8.30 a.m. What is the distance moved if, at We know that , Speed = Distance travelled
Time taken
8.50 a.m., the odometer reading has changed
= 15 km
to 57336.0 km? Also, calculate the speed of the 1/3 h
car in km/h. = 15 × 3
1
Sol: Here, the initial reading of the = 45 km/h
odometer = 57321.0 km us, the speed of the car is 45 km/h.
Final reading of the odometer = 57336.0 km

Checkpoint-1
Write True or False
1. Motion in a circular path is called rectilinear motion. ___________
2. e large speed values are expressed in units of ‘kilometres per hour’. ___________
3. An odometer is an instrument for measuring the distance travelled by a vehicle. ___________
4. e standard unit of distance is metre. ___________

Uniform and Non-uniform Motion In the case of uniform motion, the average
speed is the same as the actual speed of the
Suppose, an object, say a car or a bike keeps on
object at any given moment.
moving only one way along a straight line path.
If it keeps on covering equal distances in equal In uniform motion, the object always travels
intervals of time, its speed remains constant. We ‘equal distance’ in ‘equal interval of time’. For
example, if a car travels in uniform motion at the
call the motion of such an object a uniform
average speed of 10 km/h for 15 minutes, it
motion. us, an object moving along a
would have travelled the same distance in the
straight line path is said to have a uniform
rst ve minutes as it travelled in the last ve
motion if its speed remains constant.
minutes.

Motion and Time 185

 Average speed of car = 10 km/h meeting at a common point. e common
Total time taken = 15 minutes = 1 h meeting point O is known as the origin of the
4
graph, while the perpendicular lines are known
\ Total distance travelled = 2.5 km
as the axis (plural; axes) of the graph.
\ In uniform motion, Y

Distance travelled in
rst ve minutes = 0.833 km
Distance travelled in the second Zero speed

Distance
ve minutes = 0.833 km
Distance travelled in Horizontal line graph
last ve minutes = 0.833 km
Total distance travelled = 2.5 km
However, attaining uniform motion may not X’ O X
actually be possible in day-to-day situations due Time
to heavy traffic, bad roads, etc. us, in real Y’
situations, we hardly nd bodies moving at Fig.2 Distance-time graph when object is at rest
uniform motion. (Object doesn’t cover any distance as time passes)
An object moving along a straight line path is Y
Higher speed
said to have non-uniform motion if its speed
keeps changing (i.e., it does not remain B
constant).
Distance

An object having non-uniform motion travels A

‘unequal distances’ in equal intervals of time, or
‘equal distances’ in unequal intervals of time. If
we calculate the speed of the train for various Lower speed
B
distances, we will realise that the train has not B > A
A
travelled at the same speed. So, the motion of
the train is called non-uniform motion. X’ O X
Time
DISTANCE-TIME GRAPH NCF C-7.1
Y’
A graph is a diagrammatic representation of Fig.3 Distance-time graph of two moving objects
inter-relation between two quantities. (Object B covers more distance per unit
For example, a distance-time graph shows how time as compared to object A)

the distance travelled by a moving object e graph shown in Fig.3 represents uniform
changes with time. motion. Each object travels an equal distance in
A graph consists of two perpendicular lines equal intervals of time.

186 Exploring Science-7

e distance-time graph of uniform speed is e graph obtained for this example is a straight
always a straight line. e angle of the straight line. e slope of the graph indicates the speed
line to the X-axis (slope of the graph) represents of the object. If you study the above table of
the speed of the object. observations, you will nd that the distance
As shown in Fig.4, the horizontal line X’OX is covered by the motorcyclist is equal (15 m) in
commonly known as the X-axis and the vertical every second. is indicates that the motorcyclist
line Y’OY is known as the Y-axis of the graph. did not change its speed during his journey. Such
e value of two interrelated quantities is a motion is called uniform motion.
represented on one of the two axes respectively. If an object covers equal distances in equal
e values of two given quantities presented in a intervals of time, it is said to be in a uniform
tabular form are known as data. motion. e distance-time graph for a body
Y moving with uniform motion is a sloping
straight line.
Let us now plot a distance-time graph for a cow
X' X grazing in a eld. e data is provided in the
O
following table:
Fig.4 Axes of a graph
Time taken Distance travelled
Y' 0 min 0m
Let us now plot a distance-time graph of a 1 min 2m
motorcyclist travelling in a straight line. 2 min 3.5 m
3 min 4m
Time taken Distance travelled 4 min 6.5 m
0s 0m 5 min 9m
1s 15 m
2s 30 m Y
3s 45 m 9
4s 60 m
5s 75 m 8 e d
spe
Y
m

7
ifor
-un
ed

75 6
e
sp

Non
Distance(M)

rm

5
60
i fo
Un

Distance(M)

4
45
3
30
2
15
1
X’ O 1 2 3 4 5 6 X
X’ O 1 2 3 4 5 6 X
Time(S) Y’
Y’ Time(Min)
Fig.5 Distance-time graph (Uniform motion) Fig.6 Distance-time graph (Non-uniform motion)
Motion and Time 187
Carefully observe the values of distance reach the school in time. Similarly, we need to
travelled by the cow per minute and the shape of know the time to catch a bus, a train or an
the line of the graph. You will notice that the aeroplane for making a journey. We also have to
distance moved by the cow in each minute is not know the time to listen to a particular radio
equal and also the graph shows a zig-zag line. program or to watch our favourite television
When an object covers unequal distances in program. We measure time with the help of
equal intervals of time, it is said to have a non- clocks and watches.
uniform motion. e distance-time graph for Measurement of Time in Ancient Times
an object with non-uniform motion is a Long, long ago, people did not have clocks or
curved line. watches for measuring time, but they realised the
For a body with zero speed, the distance-time importance of time. ey realised that anything
graph is shown as a horizontal line, parallel to that occurs or appears at regular intervals can
the time axis. help us to measure time. i.e., the principle of
periodic motion is used for the measurement
Knowledge Booster of time. Our ancestors used some natural
Zero speed of an object means, it is not in mo on, events to measure time, which repeated
i.e., the object is at rest. regularly aer de nite intervals.
For example:
TIME NCF C-6.1 1. e time taken between one sunrise to the next
Time is the duration in which things occur. e sunrise was called a ‘day’.
standard unit (SI unit) of time is second. e other 2. e time taken between one new Moon to the
units of time are minute, hour, day, month and next new Moon was called ‘a month’.
year. 3. e time taken by the Earth to complete one
e knowledge of time is essential for carrying revolution of the Sun was called a ‘year’.
on our daily life activities. For example, our Some of the important time-measuring devices
school starts at a particular ‘time’. We use our used in ancient times were: sundial, sand clock
wristwatch to know the time so that we may and water clock.

Fig.7 Sundial Fig.8 Sand clock Fig.9 Water clock

188 Exploring Science-7
 that it takes exactly one hour for all the sand to
pass from one glass bulb to the other.
u Water Clock: e water clock was yet
another time-measuring device used in ancient
times. A water clock uses the rate at which water
drips from one vessel to another to measure
time intervals. Water is allowed to drip from one
vessel to another vessel kept at a lower level. e
Fig.10 Jaipur’s Jantar Mantar
time taken for the entire water to drip from the
u Sundial: Sundial is one of the earliest upper vessel to the lower vessel is used for
devices used to measure time. A sundial measuring time intervals. Every time the
measures time by observing the position of upper vessel is lled with water, it takes exactly
the shadow cast by the Sun on a dial. e the same time to drip all the water into the
sundial has a triangular blade which is xed lower vessel.
vertically on a dial marked with hours of the
day. e Sun casts a shadow of this vertical blade Knowledge Booster
on the dial. As the position of the Sun changes in
The Maharaja of Jaipur, Sawai Jai Sing II, built the
the sky, the position of the shadow of the blade biggest sundial in the world called ‘Samrat
on the dial also changes. e position of the Yantra’ in the year 1728. The sundial is a part of
shadow of the vertical blade on the dial gives the the observatory called Jantar Mantar built at
time of the day. Jaipur. It is the largest and an extremely accurate
Sun clock that determines local me within 2
u Sand Clock: Another early device for
seconds. The other four Jantar Mantars are
measuring time was the sand clock. e sand located in Delhi, Varanasi, Ujjain and Mathura
clock is also known as sand-glass or hour-glass. (exists no longer).
e sand clock uses the ow of sand (from one
glass bulb to another) to measure time. A sand Modern Basis of Measuring Time
clock consists of two glass bulbs joined together Clocks and watches are the most common time-
through a narrow tube. Some sand is lled in measuring devices used by us. ey are based
one of the glass bulbs. e two glass bulbs are on the principle of periodic motion.
closed at the outer ends. A motion which repeats itself at a regular
e length of time taken by the sand to pass interval of time is called periodic motion.
from one bulb of the sand clock to the other, One of the most common devices which shows
gives a constant time interval. periodic motion is the simple pendulum. e
Modern sand clocks are generally called hour- pendulum clock used for measuring time is
glass, because they are designed in such a way based on the periodic motion of a pendulum.

Motion and Time 189

 Rigid support

Long thread

A B A B
Bob
(metallic sphere) O O
Extreme Mean Extreme
position position position
Fig.11 Simple pendulum Fig.12 Motion of a simple pendulum Fig.13 Oscillation of a pendulum

Simple Pendulum motion. When the bob of the pendulum moves

Let us learn about a simple pendulum. A simple from one extreme position to the other and then
pendulum consists of a small metallic ball comes back to its original position, it is said to
(called a bob) suspended from a rigid support have completed one oscillation.
by a thread. e bob is suspended in such a e time taken by the pendulum to complete
way that it can swing back and forth freely. one oscillation is called its time period. e
e mass moves (bob) freely under gravity. time period is independent of the mass of the
e simple pendulum was discovered by the bob. e time period of a pendulum depends
upon the length of the string from which the
Italian scientist Galileo Galilei. ere are many
discoveries credited to his name and he has bob is suspended. Longer the string of the
appropriately been called the “father of pendulum, greater is the time period.
modern physics”. Modern clocks that measure Earlier, clocks were based on the oscillation and
time accurately were made only aer the constant time period of a simple pendulum.
discovery of the simple pendulum. Galileo Winding clocks and wristwatches were
discovered that if a mass which is hung from a re nements of the pendulum clocks.
xed point is made to swing freely, it always Now, let us de ne certain terms related to the
completes one oscillation (to and fro motion) study of a simple pendulum. NCF C-7.1
in exactly the same time. u Length of the pendulum: e length of
What Galileo exactly discovered was that a the string (thread) from the point of
pendulum of a given length always takes the suspension to the centre of the bob is called
same amount of time to complete one the length of the pendulum.
oscillation, no matter the weight of the bob. The u Mean position of the bob: e position of
time period taken to complete one oscillation the bob when it is at rest is called its mean
only depends on the length of the string of the position.
pendulum. e time period does not change
even when we increase or decrease the weight of
u Extreme positions of the bob : e
the bob. positions where the bob is at the maximum
distance from the mean position are called
e motion of a pendulum is called oscillatory
the extreme positions.
190 Exploring Science-7
u Oscillation of the pendulum: e motion releasing it. Ensure that the bob does not
of the bob from one extreme position to spin on its axis while oscillating.
another extreme position and back to the
previous extreme position, is called an
oscillation.
read
u Amplitu d e of p endu lum : As t he length (l)
pendulum oscillates to and fro, the
maximum displacement of the bob from its
mean position on either side is called the
amplitude of the pendulum.
Bob having a
u Time period of the pendulum: e time certain mass
taken by the bob of a pendulum to complete Fig.14
one oscillation is called the time period of 6. Start the stopwatch when the bob is at one
the pendulum. of the extreme positions. Keep on counting
the number of oscillations made by the
Activity-2 pendulum bob.
Aim: To determine the time period of a 7. Measure the time taken by the pendulum
pendulum. bob to make 20 complete oscillations.
Divide the time taken for 20 oscillations by
Materials Required: A metal ball (bob), a
20. is will give us the time taken by the
string of length one meter, an iron stand, and a
pendulum to make one oscillation. It is the
stopwatch.
time period of the pendulum.
Method: Calculations: Time taken for 20 oscillations
1. Set up a simple pendulum (as shown in = 48 seconds
Fig.14) with a string or thread of length one
\ Time taken for 1 oscillation
meter carrying the bob at the lower end and
tied at its upper end from a rigid support = 48 = 2.4 seconds
20
(like an iron stand). \Time period of this pendulum is 2.4 seconds.
2. Switch off the nearby fans. Numerical: A simple pendulum takes 32
3. Let the bob of the pendulum come to rest at seconds to complete 20 oscillations. What is the
its mean position. Mark the position of the time period of this pendulum?
bob on the oor below it.
Sol: Given
4. To set the pendulum in motion, hold the
bob gently and move it slightly to one side. Time taken for 20 oscillations = 32 s
5. Now, release the bob from its displaced So, time taken for 1 oscillation = 32 = 1.6 s
20
position gently. Do not push the bob while us, the time period of this pendulum is 1.6
seconds.
Motion and Time 191
 Fig.15 Latest time measuring devices Fig.16 Stopwatch

Latest Trend in Measurement of Time Unit of Time

ese days, most of us use quartz clocks and e standard unit of measuring time is second,
watches. ese watches use quartz, a hard which is the smallest unit of time that can be
mineral consisting of silica, for measuring time measured using a regular watch, and is written
accurately. Most of the accurate clocks and as 's'. e large units of time-are minutes and
watches use quartz crystals for their working, hours written as ‘min’ and ‘h’ respectively.
and hence are called as quartz clocks and Some units and their conversions are as follows:
watches.
60 secons = 1 minute
Quartz has a unique property of oscillating
60 minutes = 1 hour
when subjected to a small amount of electric
current. In quartz watches, an electric cell and a 24 hours = 1 day
quartz crystal are placed in an electric circuit. 30 days = 1 month
For measuring short intervals of time, a stop- 12 months = 1 year
watch is used (Fig.16). It can be made to start or 10 years = 1 decade
stop with the help of a push-button and is used
100 years (or 10 decades) = 1 century
to measure timings at sports events. It can
1000 years (or 10 centuries) = 1 millennium
measure up to one-tenth of a second.

Checkpoint-2
A. Fill in the blanks
1. e time taken between one sunrise to the next sunrise is called __________.
2. e biggest Sun dial in the world is __________.
3. __________is one of the earliest devices used for measuring time.
B. Answer the following questions orally
1. How can we measure time?
2. Who was the rst scientist to make use of a pendulum?

192 Exploring Science-7

Keywords
Motion : Changing position of an object with respect to time.
Rectilinear motion : Motion in a straight line.
Speed : The distance travelled by a body per unit time.
Speedometer : A device used for measuring the speed of a vehicle.
Odometer : A device used for measuring the distance travelled by a vehicle.
Average speed : Total distance covered by an object divided by the total time taken.
Uniform motion : When a moving object travels equal distances in equal interval
of time.
Non-uniform motion : When a moving object travels unequal distances in equal
intervals of time.
Time : A moment of duration in which things occur.
Time period : Stretch of time (time interval).
Oscillation of the pendulum : Motion of the bob of the pendulum from one extreme position
to the other extreme position and back.
Amplitude : Maximum displacement from mean position.

Points to Remember
u An object is said to be in motion, if it changes its position with respect to time.
u e terms fast and slow indicate the speed of an object.
u e speed of an object is de ned as the distance travelled by it per unit time.
u e SI unit of speed is metre per second (m/s).
u e average speed of a moving object is the total distance covered divided by the total time
taken at the end of the travel, i.e., Average speed = Total distance covered / Total time taken.
u An object is said to be moving with a uniform speed if it covers equal distances in equal
intervals of time.
u An object is said to be moving with a non-uniform speed if it covers unequal distances in
equal intervals of time.
u A graph is a diagrammatic representation, depicting an interrelation between two quantities.
u A distance-time graph shows how the distance travelled by a moving object changes with
time.
u e events which occur regularly at equal intervals of time are called periodic motion and
give an idea of time involvement.

Motion and Time 193

u A simple pendulum consists of a small weight (bob) suspended from a rigid support by a thread.
u e motion of a pendulum is called oscillatory motion and the time taken to complete one
oscillation is called the time-period of the pendulum.
u e oscillatory motion of a pendulum has been used to make clocks and watches.
u e SI unit of time is second (s).
u Stop clocks and stopwatches are frequently used to measure short-time intervals very
accurately.

Exercise
A. Tick (3) the Correct Option
1. e correct symbol to represent the speed of an object is:
(a) 5 m/s (b) 5 mp
(c) 5 m/s (d) 5 s/m
2. Which instrument is used to measure the distance travelled by a car?
(a) Odometer (b) Speedometer
(c) Barometer (d) Ammeter
3. e slope of a distance-time graph of a moving object indicates:
(a) distance moved by the object (b) time taken by the object
(c) speed of the object (d) position of the object
4. e sundial is a device for measuring:
(a) Distance (b) Speed
(c) Time (d) All of these
5. An athlete attains a maximum speed of 36 km/h. is speed is equal to:
(a) 5 m/s (b) 10 m/s
(c) 15 m/s (d) 20 m/s
B. Fill in the Blanks with Suitable Words
1. An object is said to be at ___________ if it does not change its position with respect to time.
2. ___________ is the duration in which things occur.
3. We measure time with the help of ___________ and ___________.
4. e principle of ___________ motion is used for the measurement of time.
5. e motion of a pendulum is called ___________ motion.

194 Exploring Science-7

C. Very-Short-Answer-Type Questions
1. De ne motion.
2. Name four different types of motion.
3. What is periodic motion?
4. De ne speed.
5. What is the standard unit of speed?
6. Name the instrument used in a vehicle to display the speed of the vehicle.
7. De ne uniform motion.
8. De ne non-uniform motion.
9. Write the formula for calculating speed.
10. What is the S.I. unit of time?
D. Short-Answer-Type Questions
1. Write the formula to calculate the following for a moving object:
(a) Speed of the object (b) Distance travelled by the object
(c) Time taken by the object to travel a given distance
2. Differentiate between an odometer and a speedometer.
3. Why is it difficult to maintain a constant speed of a vehicle?
4. A bus travelled 160 km in 4 hours, and another bus travelled 175 km in 5 hours. Which bus
moved faster?
5. A car travelled a distance of 120 km in 3 hours, while a van car travelled a distance of 150 km
in 4 hours. Which vehicle was moving faster?
6. A train is running at the speed of 60 km/h. Calculate the speed of the train in m/s.
7. Draw a distance-time graph for:
(a) An object at rest (b) An object in uniform speed
(c) An object in non-uniform speed
8. With the help of a diagram, describe the structure of a simple pendulum.
9. e time for 20 oscillations of a simple pendulum was found to be 40 seconds. Calculate the
time-period of this pendulum.
10. Mention ve different units of time. Also, show the conversion between them.
E. Long-Answer-Type Questions
1. A sprinting deer covers a distance of 100 meters in 10 seconds. Calculate the speed of the
deer in:
(a) m/s (b) m/min (c) km/h

Motion and Time 195

 2. A train takes three hours to reach Delhi from Agra. If the train travels at a uniform speed of
80 km/h, nd the distance between Delhi and Agra.
3. A bus starts from rest at 8:00 a.m. e distance covered by the bus at various instants of time
is as follows:
Distance (km) 0 20 40 60 80
Time (a.m.) 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00
(a) Draw the distance-time graph for the bus.
(b) What distance was covered by the bus at 9:45 a.m.?
4. Give a brief note on different instruments used by our early ancestors to measure time.
5. In relation to the structure and working of a simple pendulum, explain the following terms:
(a) Length of the pendulum,
(b) Mean position of the pendulum,
(c) Oscillation of the pendulum and
(d) Time-period of the pendulum.

HOTS
1. How will you reduce the time period of a pendulum that you have made by tying a stone to a
string?
2. e accurate measurement of time became possible only aer the accurate measurement of
length. Why?
3. Which of the following distance-time graphs shows a car moving with a non-constant
speed?
Distance

Distance

Time Time
(a) (b)
Distance

Distance

Time Time
(c) (d)
196 Exploring Science-7
 Activity Zone
Creativity
A. You can make your own sundial and use it to mark the time of the day at your place. First of
all, nd the latitude of your city with the help of an atlas. Cut out a triangular piece of
cardboard such that its one angle is equal to the latitude of your place and the angle opposite
to it is a right angle. Fix this piece, called ‘gnomon’, vertically along the diameter of a circular
board as shown in the gure below. One way to x the gnomon could be to make a groove
along a diameter on the circular board.
Next, select an open space, which receives
sunlight for most of the day. Mark a line on N
the ground along the North-South
direction. Place the sundial in the Sun as
shown in the gure. Mark the position of
the tip of the shadow of the gnomon on the
circular board as early in the day as possible,
say 8:00 a.m. Mark the position of the tip of
the shadow every hour throughout the day.
Draw lines to connect each point marked by
you with the centre of the base of the S
gnomon as shown in the gure. Extend the
lines on the circular board up to its periphery. You can use this sundial to read the time of the
day at your place. Remember that the gnomon should always be placed in the North-South
direction, as shown in the gure.

Project Work Information, Media & Technology Literacy

B. Find out how does a quartz clock work. Make a presentation of your ndings.
C. Find out about the history of the Jantar Mantar. Find how it was used to calculate time.

e-Resources
Please visit the link given below or scan the QR code for more resources on
this chapter:
https://www.megamindpublication.com/s-3-science/b-3-exploring-science-7/c-39/motion-and-time.html

Motion and Time 197