In the context of motion, what is meant by 'relative'?

In the context of motion, the term 'relative' refers to the idea that the observation of motion or position is dependent on the frame of reference of the observer. This means that the motion of an object can appear different depending on where you are observing from or how you are measuring it. For example, a car moving down the highway might seem to be moving fast from the perspective of a person standing still on the sidewalk, but to someone in another car traveling at the same speed in the same direction, that car appears to be stationary.

Understanding that motion is relative allows us to grasp that there is no absolute standard of movement, and various observers could describe the same motion in different ways based on their own state of motion. The concept reinforces the fact that velocity and motion need to be understood in relation to other objects or frames of reference, which is a fundamental principle in physics.