What Are Some Examples of Curvilinear Motion?
Throwing paper airplanes or paper darts is an example of curvilinear motion; sneezing is an example of curvilinear motion too. Curvilinear motion is the movement of an object as it moves along a curved path in two or three dimensions. Most particles experience curvilinear motion in three dimensions. Curvilinear velocity and acceleration are found given the position of the particle with respect to time.
A slotted link on a fixed pivot causing a rod to slide along the curve is an example of curvilinear motion. The rod can slide back and forth to illustrate the planar and cylindrical components of curvilinear motion
A stone being thrown into the air demonstrates curvilinear motion. Curvilinear motion involves planar and cylindrical motion coordinate systems. The velocity and acceleration of the object are tangential and normal to the fixed curve of planar motion. The cylindrical motion has velocity that is tangential to the curve, but the acceleration is different at specific points along the radius of the curve. Planar motion is two-dimensional, and cylindrical motion is three-dimensional.
A car driving around a curve, a baseball being hit by a bat, a gymnast bouncing on a trampoline from one spot to another and an athlete running around a track are all curvilinear motions.
