Is this little motion which can occur sometimes due to weathering synonymous with transportation? If not, why?
No, the little motion which can occur sometimes due to weathering is not synonymous with transportation. Weathering is primarily an in-situ or on-site process where very little or no motion of materials takes place. The rocks are broken down into smaller fragments through mechanical disintegration and chemical decomposition, but the materials remain essentially at the same location.
Transportation, on the other hand, involves the actual acquisition and movement of rock debris to other places. This process is carried out by erosional geomorphic agents like running water, glaciers, wind, waves and groundwater. These agents remove and transport the weathered materials depending upon their dynamics.
Thus, while weathering breaks down rocks and prepares them for erosion, transportation is a distinct process involving the carrying away of materials from their original location.
Explanation
The textbook clearly distinguishes between weathering and transportation. Weathering is defined as an 'in-situ or on-site process' with 'very little or no motion of materials.' Transportation, however, is part of erosion where geomorphic agents like running water, wind, glaciers, and waves 'remove and transport' rock debris 'to other places.' The key difference is that weathering primarily breaks down rocks in place, while transportation involves actual movement of materials to different locations.