Centripetal Force

Determining the relationship between the frequency and the tension force, radius, and
mass of a rotating object

Introduction
Uniform circular motion is motion in a circular path with a constant speed. Although
the speed is constant, uniform circular motion is an accelerated motion because the direction
of the velocity is changing constantly. Since this centripetal acceleration does not affect the
speed, its direction must be perpendicular to the trajectory of the object which is tangent to the
circle. Therefore, the direction of this acceleration is always directed toward the center of the
circle. Equation 1 shows how the different variables are related to each other.
Equation 1 - Centripetal force given mass, velocity and radius
Fc = mv 2 ⁄ r
The direction of the centripetal force is parallel to that of the centripetal acceleration
which is towards the center and is applied on the object by the tension in the string.
The number of rotations per second is called the frequency ( f ) and the time taken for
one revolution is called the period (T). f and T are reciprocal of each other. The period may be
obtained by dividing the circumference of the circle (2πr) by the speed (v) as shown in Equation
2.
Equation 2 - Time period as a function of radius and velocity
T = 2πr ⁄ v
So:
f = v / 2πr
Thus:
v= 2πrf
Substituting for v from Equation 2 into Equation 1, Equation 3 will be formed.
Equation 3 - Centripetal force as a function of mass, radius and frequency
Fc = 4mπ 2r f 2
Thus, if the mass of the rotating object, m, the frequency, f, and the radius of the circular
path , r, are known, the centripetal force, Fc, may be calculated. In this experiment, the rotating
object is attached to a string which passes through a pipette and another mass is hung from the
other end to provide the centripetal force. This means the centripetal force can also be
determined by finding the weight of the hanging mass. If the value of the hanging mass that
produces the centripetal force is mh, then the centripetal force, Fc , may also be calculated as
the weight of the hanging mass ( mh ) as stated in Equation 4.
Equation 4 - Centripetal force
Fc = ( mh ) |g|
The purpose of this lab is to examine uniform circular motion and how changes in centripetal
force, rotational radius, and rotating mass affect it, thereby verifying the centripetal force
equation.
Materials and Methods

For the first part of the lab, the force of tension was varied while the mass and radius
were held constant. A 2 m long fishing line was cut and put through a pipette. The fishing line
was marked 1 cm below the pipette so that the length (radius) above was 0.6 m. A rubber
stopper of mass 0.0108 kg was hung on the top end of the fishing line. A metal mass of 0.0239
kg was hung on the bottom of the fishing line to provide the force of tension. This tension force
provides the centripetal force for the uniform circular motion. The rubber stopper was rotated
horizontally and speed was adjusted so that the marked place stayed 1 cm below the pipette.
Once the string moved consistently, the time for 20 rotations was recorded using a timer. Two
more trials were measured for this mass. The procedure was repeated for metal masses of
0.0557 kg and 0.0949 kg. The time for three trials was recorded and then averaged.
For the second part of the lab, the mass was varied while the force of tension and radius
were held constant. The same set-up was used, however, the mass at the top was changed this
time. A metal mass of 0.0557 kg was used to provide the tension force and a radius of 0.6 m
was used. The three rubber stoppers used were of 0.0108 kg, 0.0195 kg, and 0.0267 kg. Three
trials were performed for each mass and the time for 20 rotations was recorded every time. The
average of this time was calculated.
For the third part of the lab, the radius was varied while the force of tension and the
mass were held constant. The same set-up was used, however, the radius was changed this
time. A metal mass of 0.0557 kg was used to provide the tension force and a rubber stopper of
mass 0.0108 kg was attached to the top end of the string. The three radii used were 0.4 m, 0.5
m, and 0.6 m. Three trials were performed for each radius and the time for 20 rotations was
recorded every time. The average of this time was calculated.
For all the above three parts, the data was transferred to Google Sheets and scatter charts
were plotted between the rotation frequency and the variable being changed. A power series
trendline was used to check the relationship between the variables and was found to match the
data closely. The polynomial was found to be quadratic for all three parts.
Observations
Table 1: Measured frequency for a changing force of tension with a constant mass of 0.0108
kg and a radius of 0.600 m
Varying the force of tension
Force of Tension (N) Frequency (Hz) Mass (kg) Radius (m)
0.2342 1.0661 0.0108 0.6000
0.5458 1.5094 0.0108 0.6000
0.9300 1.8248 0.0108 0.6000
Table 2: Measured frequency for a changing mass with a constant radius of 0.6000 m and a
tension force of 0.5458 N
Varying the mass
Mass (kg) Frequency (Hz) Radius (m) Force of Tension (N)
0.0108 1.5094 0.6000 0.5458
0.0195 1.3245 0.6000 0.5458
0.0267 1.0537 0.6000 0.5458
Table 3: Measured frequency for a changing radius with a constant tension force of 0.5458 N
and a mass of 0.0108 kg
Varying the radius
Radius (m) Frequency (Hz) Force of Tension (N) Mass (kg)
0.4000 1.9417 0.5458 0.0108
0.5000 1.5748 0.5458 0.0108
0.6000 1.5094 0.5458 0.0108

Results
Since, three trials were performed for each value of the variable under consideration,
the average value was taken. This value was converted into frequency by dividing the number
of revolutions by the time taken.
For the first part, a quadratic relationship was found and it could be concluded that the
frequency was directly proportional to the square root of the force of tension as the exponent
showed was approximately ≈ 0.5. This relationship is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Graph showing the relationship between the frequency (Hz) and tension force (N)
For the second part, a quadratic relationship was found and it could be concluded that
the frequency was indirectly proportional to the square root of the mass as the exponent showed
was approximately ≈ -0.5. This relationship is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Graph showing the relationship between the frequency (Hz) and the mass (kg)
For the third part, a quadratic relationship was found and it could be concluded that the
frequency was indirectly proportional to the square root of the radius as the exponent showed
was approximately ≈ -0.5. This relationship is shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3: Graph showing the relationship between the frequency (Hz) and the radius (m)
The proportionalities were all combined into an expression as shown in Equation 5.

Equation 5 - The combined proportionality of frequency and the force, mass, and radius of an
object.
f ∝ √F
√(mr)
To create an equation and remove the proportionality sign, a constant was added as
shown in Equation 6. The equation can then be rearranged for the constant which can be
found by substituting values for frequency, force, mass, and radius from the data. To be
accurate, the constant values were found using all the data and then averaged as shown in
Table 4.
Equation 6 - The overall equation including the constant “k”
f = k √F
√(mr)
This equation can be rearranged as:
k = f √(mr)
√F
Table 4: Equation 6 was used to find the constant “k”
Calculating the value for “k” using measured data
Frequency Force Mass Radius k

Varying the 1.0661 0.2342 0.0108 0.6000 0.1773
force
1.5094 0.5458 0.0108 0.6000 0.1645
1.8248 0.9300 0.0108 0.6000 0.1523
Varying the 1.5094 0.5458 0.0108 0.6000 0.1645

mass
1.3245 0.5458 0.0195 0.6000 0.1939
1.0537 0.5458 0.0267 0.6000 0.1805
Varying the 1.9417 0.5458 0.0108 0.4000 0.1727

radius
1.5748 0.5458 0.0108 0.5000 0.1566
1.5094 0.5458 0.0108 0.6000 0.1645
Average for the value of “k” 0.1697
Discussion
The expected relationship between the velocity and the other 3 variables (radius,
centripetal force and stopper mass) was verified with a high level of confidence. According to
the lab results, the frequency is proportional to the square root of the force of tension. The
frequency is inversely proportional to the square root of mass and radius. The expected value
for the constant was 1/2π as seen in Equation 7, however, the measured data gave a k value of
0.1697. This gave a percent error of 6.63%.
Equation 7 - Equation showing the value of the constant in original equation
f = 1 . √F
2π √(mr)
The percent error could have been due to the experimental errors which made the data
inaccurate. These could include friction including air resistance and the friction between the
pipette and the string. Friction between the string and the tube would reduce the centripetal
force which would make the data inaccurate. Furthermore, it is impossible to keep the stopper
trajectory horizontal at a constant velocity and radius. This introduces errors in the
measurements as the weight of the stopper will contribute/cancel the centripetal force. Lastly,
the fishing line used could have stretched out. This causes the radius to increase and
therefore, making the data imprecise.
The ideal force body diagram would have only the force of gravity and centripetal
force. However, if the rotating mass was at an angle above horizontal, there would still be the
force of gravity but the tension force would be divided into components of centripetal force
and the force opposite to the force of gravity. The force body diagrams are shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4: Force body diagram of an object rotating horizontally and at an angle
A real life connection of centripetal force would be the loops in a roller coaster. In a
roller coaster, there would be three forces, gravity, centripetal force and the normal force.

Centripetal Force

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Determining the relationship between the frequency and the tension force, radius, and

mass of a rotating object

Materials and Methods

Force of Tension (N) Frequency (Hz) Mass (kg) Radius (m)

0.2342 1.0661 0.0108 0.6000

0.5458 1.5094 0.0108 0.6000

0.9300 1.8248 0.0108 0.6000

Mass (kg) Frequency (Hz) Radius (m) Force of Tension (N)

0.0108 1.5094 0.6000 0.5458

0.0195 1.3245 0.6000 0.5458

0.0267 1.0537 0.6000 0.5458

Radius (m) Frequency (Hz) Force of Tension (N) Mass (kg)

0.4000 1.9417 0.5458 0.0108

0.5000 1.5748 0.5458 0.0108

0.6000 1.5094 0.5458 0.0108

The proportionalities were all combined into an expression as shown in Equation 5.

Table 4: Equation 6 was used to find the constant “k”

Calculating the value for “k” using measured data

Frequency Force Mass Radius k

1.8248 0.9300 0.0108 0.6000 0.1523

Varying the 1.5094 0.5458 0.0108 0.6000 0.1645

1.0537 0.5458 0.0267 0.6000 0.1805

Varying the 1.9417 0.5458 0.0108 0.4000 0.1727

1.5094 0.5458 0.0108 0.6000 0.1645

Average for the value of “k” 0.1697

Figure 4: Force body diagram of an object rotating horizontally and at an angle

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