Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Rectilinear motion refers to the movement of an object along a straight line path. It involves changes in position, velocity, and acceleration without any deviation from a straight line.
Related terms
Position Function: A position function describes the location of an object at any given time. In rectilinear motion, the position function would represent how far the object is from its starting point.
Velocity is the rate at which an object changes its position with respect to time. In rectilinear motion, velocity tells us how fast and in which direction the object is moving along the straight line.
Acceleration measures how quickly an object's velocity changes over time. In rectilinear motion, acceleration indicates whether the object is speeding up or slowing down along the straight line path.