We discussed easing very briefly in Chapter 2, Fading Animations when we saw that each fading method could have an easing type set by passing an argument into the animation method being used. The sliding animations are the same and can also accept an easing type as an argument. Let's take a moment to familiarize ourselves with what easing is exactly and how it can be used with jQuery animations.
Easing is a technique where the speed and/or the direction of animation are changed while the animation is running. Easing can make the animation start off slow and gradually speed up, start up fast and gradually slow down, and a whole host of other effects.
jQuery has two modes of easing built in: linear easing and swing easing
, with swing being the default for all types of animations. Sometimes using linear easing can help make a continuous animation run smoother, but the difference between swing and linear is subtle at best.
There are many more types of easing than the two exposed by jQuery...
