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Question

Acar moving along a straight path slows down and stops. The car is under which type of motion?

This question was previously asked in
RRB NTPC 2024 Undergraduate CBT 1 Question Paper (29-Aug-2025) (Shift 1)
The correct answer is

Non-uniform motion

Understanding Car Motion: Straight Path, Slowing Down

The question describes a car moving on a straight path and then slowing down until it stops. We need to identify the type of motion this represents.

Analysing Motion Types

Let's examine the definitions of the different types of motion mentioned in the options:

  • Periodic Motion: This is motion that repeats itself at regular time intervals. Examples include a pendulum swinging or the Earth revolving around the Sun. A car slowing down and stopping doesn't fit this pattern.
  • Circular Motion: This is motion along a circular path. The question explicitly states the car is moving along a straight path, so this option is incorrect.
  • Uniform Motion: This is motion where an object travels at a constant velocity. This means both its speed and direction remain unchanged. For example, a car travelling at exactly 60 km/h in a straight line without any change.
  • Non-uniform Motion: This is motion where an object's velocity changes over time. The velocity can change in magnitude (speed) or direction, or both.

Why Non-uniform Motion Applies

The key information in the question is that the car is slowing down and eventually stops.

  • Slowing down means the car's speed is decreasing.
  • Stopping means the car's final speed is zero.

Since the car's speed is changing (decreasing from some initial speed to zero), its velocity is not constant.

According to the definition, motion with a changing velocity is called non-uniform motion. Even though the car moves along a straight path (constant direction), the change in speed is sufficient to classify the motion as non-uniform.

In physics terms, a change in velocity indicates the presence of acceleration (\(a\)). Here, the acceleration is negative (or deceleration) because the speed is decreasing: \(a = \frac{\Delta v}{\Delta t}\). Since \(v\) is changing, \(a\) is non-zero, confirming non-uniform motion.

Conclusion

Because the car's speed is changing as it slows down and stops on a straight path, it is undergoing non-uniform motion.

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Important Questions from Motion

  1. The motion of a particle of mass m is described by the relation, y = ut - 1⁄2 gt2, where u is the initial velocity of the particle. The force acting on the particle is

  2. The rate of change in the velocity of an object per unit time is referred as ________.

  3. Which of the following is a correct equation of motion?

  4. The acceleration of an object is said to be _______ when an object travels in a straight line and its velocity increases or decreases by an equal amounts in equal intervals of time.          

  5. What is the friction force employed between the two surfaces interacted in relative speed?

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