Final answer:
Changing your frame of reference changes your perspective on motion and can lead to different descriptions of an event. For example, a person walking inside a bus has different speeds depending on whether the frame of reference is the bus or the ground. The physical event does not change, but the observation from different frames of reference can vary significantly.
Step-by-step explanation:
Changing your frame of reference can significantly affect which systems you can observe and how you perceive motion. When you choose a particular frame of reference, you are essentially deciding on a point or group of connected points that you consider to be stationary or at rest. Observations and measurements of motion are then made relative to this chosen frame.
Take for instance the event where a person is walking toward the front of a bus. From the perspective of a fellow bus passenger, their frame of reference is the bus itself, so the person may appear to be moving at a walking pace. In contrast, an observer standing on the sidewalk uses a stationary ground frame of reference, and to them, the walker appears to be moving at the sum of the bus's speed and their walking pace.
The concept of a frame of reference is essential to describe position or motion. For example, if someone on a train throws a ball in the air, to them the ball appears to go straight up and down. However, to an observer outside the train, the ball follows a parabolic path, moving both up and down and in the direction of the train's motion.
Understanding different frames of reference is crucial for correctly interpreting and analyzing motion. A frame of reference does not change the actual physical results of an event; it merely changes the observer's perception and description of that event.