Spotting Motion Around Us
An object is moving if its place changes compared with nearby things. An object that stays in the same place is still.
Watch the swing and dog change place. The boy, his ball, and the swing frame stay still.
Your turn: Point to one moving thing and one still thing in your room. How do you know?
What to notice · About the animation
Choose Mark positions, then watch for a moment. Pale copies show the earlier positions. Compare them with the objects now and with the still swing frame. Slow motion and tiny wobbles are motion too!
This is an illustrative, not-to-scale playground, not a physical simulation. Time is shown in seconds. The swing follows θ = 0.45 sin(1.6t) radians, with a 1.85 m illustrative rope length. The dog follows x = 1.3 + 1.7 cos(0.9t) metres and runs back and forth. Speed changes how quickly animation time passes; the boy's position is constant.