Need a definition of Translation

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Translation of a rigid body refers to its movement from one location to another while maintaining its orientation, exemplified by sliding an object like a spanner across a table. This motion can be described as the translation of the body's center of mass combined with a rotation around that center. Understanding this concept is essential for grasping the dynamics of rigid body motion. Resources such as Wikipedia provide further clarification on the topic. Mastery of these fundamentals is crucial for those studying physics or engineering.
Rob K
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Hi there,

Having a little difficulty. I have to revise Translation and rotation of a rigid body. But I don't know what is meant by translation of a rigid body. Rotation is obvious.

I am guessing that it is the movement of a rigid body from one place to another. The best way I can explain what I think it is in the simplest form is if you have a spanner on a table, and you slide it from one side of the table to the other keeping the same orientation?

Kind regards

Rob
 
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Rob K said:
The best way I can explain what I think it is in the simplest form is if you have a spanner on a table, and you slide it from one side of the table to the other keeping the same orientation?
Sounds good to me.

There's even a wiki page on this: Translation (physics)

It's often useful to describe the motion of a rigid body as a translation of its center of mass plus a rotation about its center of mass.
 
Thank you Doc Al, I wish I could have found that.

Some things seem so obvious and are second nature if you did a physics or Maths A level which I didn't, Unfortunately they let me onto my degree on personality and enthusiasm for learning.

Kind regards

Rob
 
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