Relative Motion in

one-dimension PHYSICS 1

(1D)
 The motion of an object
with respect to other
moving or stationary
object is called
Relative Motion

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RELATIVE MOTION

Speed, v is a scalar quantity that represents the

rate at which an object moves. For instance,
imagine a cyclist moving on a straight road, we
can compute his speed by dividing the distance
he has travelled by the time it took him to reach
that distance, also called elapsed time. In
equation, 𝑣⃑ = 𝑑/t

To discuss relative motion in one or more dimensions, we first introduce the

concept of reference frames. When we say an object has a certain
velocity, we must state it has a velocity with respect to a given reference
frame. If you say a person is sitting in a bus moving at 10 m/s east, then
you imply the person on the bus is moving relative to the surface of the
Earth at this velocity, making Earth as the reference frame.
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Example #1: Relative Motion in 1D
The person is sitting in a bus moving east. If we
choose east as the positive direction and the Earth as
the reference frame, then we can write the velocity of
the bus with respect to the Earth v BE = 10m/s î east,
where the subscript BE refer to the bus and earth. Let’s
now say the person gets up out of his seat and walks
toward the back of the bus at 2 m/s. This tells us he
has a velocity relative to the reference frame of the
bus. Since the person walking west, in the negative
direction, we write the velocity with respect to the bus
as v PB = -2m/s î west. We can add the two velocity
vectors to find the velocity of the person with respect
to Earth. This relative velocity is written as

Therefore, the person is moving 8 m/s east with

respect to Earth.
Suppose two cars A and B are moving with
uniform velocities with respect to ground
along parallel tracks and in the same direction.
Let the velocities of A and B be 35 km h-1 due
east and 40 km h-1 due east respectively.
What is the relative velocity of car B with
respect to A?
Table summarizes the equations for motion in a straight line
under constant acceleration.

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Relative Motion in
two-dimension PHYSICS 1

(2D)
Relative Velocity in Two Dimensions

Consider a particle P and

reference frames S and S′,S′, as
shown in (Figure). The position
of the origin of S′ as measured
in S is →rS′S, the position
of P as measured
in S′ is →rPS′, and the position rPS = rPS + rS’S

of P as measured in S is →rPS.

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Example:
Motion of a Car Relative to a Truck

A truck is traveling south at a

speed of 70 km/h toward an
intersection. A car is
traveling east toward the
intersection at a speed of 80
km/h ((Figure)). What is the
velocity of the car relative to
the truck?

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Strategy
First, we must establish the reference
frame common to both vehicles,
which is Earth. Then, we write the
velocities of each with respect to the
reference frame of Earth, which
enables us to form a vector equation
that links the car, the truck, and Earth
to solve for the velocity of the car with
respect to the truck.
Solution
The velocity of the car with respect to Earth is →vCE=80km/h.
The velocity of the truck with respect to Earth is →vTE=−70km/h.
Using the velocity addition rule, the relative motion equation we are seeking is
→vCT=→vCE+→vET.
We can now solve for the velocity of the car with respect to the truck:

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A cyclist traveling southeast along a road at 15 km/h feels a wind blowing from the
southwest at 25 km/h. To a stationary observer, what are the speed and direction
of the wind?
A cyclist traveling southeast along a road at 15 km/h feels a wind blowing from the
southwest at 25 km/h. To a stationary observer, what are the speed and direction
of the wind?
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