Question

State the type of motion taking place in the following: carpenter's saw, hands of a clock, smoke from the chimney and spinning top.

Answer 1

Motion of carpenter's saw:

1. While using the saw, the carpenter is continuously moving the saw to and fro in a straight line, thereby causing the oscillatory motion.
2. Also while cutting when the saw penetrates the wood, it translates downward, thereby causing the translational motion.
3. Thus, the motion of a carpenter's saw is multiple motions.

Motion of hands of a clock:

1. When a body repeats its motion after a fixed interval of time, its motion is called periodic motion.
2. The hands of a clock repeat their motion after a fixed time interval, the motion of the hands of a clock is periodic motion.

Motion of smoke from the chimney:

1. The smoke coming out from a chimney does not have a proper path of motion.
2. The direction of its motion changes suddenly from one direction to another.
3. When a body moves such that it has no fixed path and its motion changes at once from one type to another, it is said to exhibit random motion.
4. Thus, the motion of smoke from the chimney is a random motion.

Motion of spinning top:

1. If a body moves or spins about a fixed axis without changing the radius of its motion, it is said to be in rotatory motion.
2. A spinning top spins about its leg without changing the radius of its motion.
3. Thus the motion of the spinning top is rotatory motion.