In uniform motion, the speed remains constant.
It is important to first establish where the words that give shape to the term uniform movement come from, etymologically speaking. Thus, we can establish that both emanate from Latin:
• Movement is the result of the sum of two components: the verb «movere», which can be translated as «to move from one side to another», and the suffix «-ment», which is indicative of «action and effect».
• Uniform , on the other hand, is the result of having joined two Latin elements: "unis", which is equivalent to "one", and "forme", which acts as a synonym for "form".
What is uniform motion
The action and effect of moving is known as motion . The verb move refers to the state of the body while it changes position or place. To move, therefore, is to make a body pass from one place to another, or to shake a part of it or a thing.
/> Uniform is the adjective that refers to things that have the same shape or that are the same or similar. As a noun , uniform is a distinctive costume worn by those who belong to the same body or entity.
With this in mind, we can refer to the notion of uniform motion . It is that movement whose speed, whether translation or rotation, remains constant .
Uniform motion can be rectilinear or circular.
Classification according to type
It is possible to distinguish between uniform rectilinear motion and uniform circular motion . In the first case, the body follows a straight path with constant speed over time (that is, with zero acceleration). In the second case, the path taken by the body is circular, with constant speed (not the speed , which is a vector magnitude).
In order to carry out the calculation of uniform rectilinear movement, it is necessary to have a series of variables or parameters in this regard. Specifically, we are referring to position, speed and acceleration. Using these values, for example, the calculation of the average speed of an athlete when running along a straight track and performing two different sections of it can be developed.
Uniformly accelerated movement , on the other hand, is the movement in which the speed increases proportionally to the elapsed time, while the uniformly retarded movement is the inverse (the speed is reduced proportionally to the time).
Example of uniform motion
To easily understand what uniform motion is, we can consider the case of a car moving in a straight line at a constant speed of 100 kilometers per hour . It could be said, in this case, that the car makes a uniform rectilinear movement.
In order to undertake what would be the calculation of this aforementioned uniformly accelerated movement, it is essential to have values such as acceleration, which is represented in the formula with the letter "a"; the initial velocity, which is represented by the "Vo", and the final velocity, the "Vf".
So, for example, if we wanted to calculate the time, we would have to say that it is equal to the subtraction of the Vo from the Vf and then divide the result by the "a". That is, t = Vf – Vo / a.