Circular Motion

Circular motion
Dan
Circular motion can generate enormous speeds in the
rotating object
with very little external force
To describe motion we need……
• Distance
• Time
• Speed / velocity
• Acceleration
• Force
• Where θ is angular displacement
r is radius of the circular path
s is arc length
θ can be measured in degree, revolution or radian.
Notice that for one complete revolution:
1rev = 3600 = 2π rad
https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/cheerpj/rotation/latest/rotation.html?simulation=rotation
Ex: 1. convert 4/3 revolution in radian.
2. what is the angular displacement of 2000 in radian.

Time, Period and frequency
In uniform circular motion, the time you take to make one whole circle is always the
same.
This is called the Recurrence interval or Period (T)

T = time taken unit: seconds
amount of revolutions
Another measure for recurrence interval is frequency (f)

f = amount of revolutions unit = revs/sec
time taken or Herz (Hz)
T and f are related: T=1/f f=1/T

•
Ex1. An object, attached to a 0.5m string, does 4 rotation in one second.
Find
a) Period
b) Angular velocity of the object.
2. A wheel makes 180 revolution in 0.3min. Calculate the average

angular velocity in rad/s.
Speed and velocity in uniform
circular motion
In uniform circular motion a particle is

moving with constant speed in a
circle.
Tangential velocity (V)
When a body is moving in circular path at a distance r from its center its
velocity at any instant will be directed tangentially. This is what we call
tangential velocity.
In simple words the linear velocity at any instant is its tangential velocity.
Speed in uniform circular motion
1. Is the speed changing?
No
2. Is the velocity changing?
Yes
Change in direction
No change in size
Speed is distance / time, so……

If a body makes one complete rotation then Tangential Velocity is
calculated using formula
v = ωr
The SI unit of tangential velocity is m/s.

Ex: Calculate the tangential velocity of a particle if it is moving from A
to B in 5s as shown in the figure?
Centripetal acceleration
In a uniform circular motion the speed is constant but the direction of the
tangential velocity changes . The acceleration which arises due to the
change in the direction of the velocity is called Centripetal acceleration.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvCezk9DJfk
• α + β = 90o
• α +θ = 90o
• β=θ
The centripetal acceleration is written as:
The direction of the centripetal acceleration is towards the

center of the circle
•
Example
A 5-kg object moves at a constant speed of 10 m/s in a 5.0 m radius circle. What is
the object's acceleration?
Exercise
1. A test car moves at a constant speed around a circular track. If the car is 48 m from the
center of track and has a centripetal acceleration of 8.05 m/s2, what is the car’s tangential
speed?
2. A racing car is moving along a circular track, it has a centripetal acceleration of 15 m/sec 2.
If the car has a tangential speed of 30 m/s, what is the distance between the car and the
center of the track?
3. If the tangential velocity of an object is increased by the factor of ‘2’, i.e.
doubled, then what is the effect on its centripetal acceleration?
4. If the radius of the curve on which an object is traveling is decreased by the

factor of ‘2’, i.e. halved, then what is the effect on its centripetal acceleration?
Centripetal Force
In uniform circular motion there must be a net force to produce the
centripetal acceleration.
The centripetal force is the name given to the net force required to keep
an object moving on a circular path.
The direction of the centripetal force always points toward the center of
the circle and continually changes direction as the object moves.
According to Newton’s second law of motion
Fnet = ma
Thus Centripetal Force is written as
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzMLWBMDb6w
Example: A plane in a circular path
A small plane going at v = 56.6 m/s.
It is making a circle with r = 188.5 m.
The force to keep the plane in the circle is 1.89 x 104 N.
What is the plane’s mass?
Step 1: Find what is given

vt = 56.6 m/s r = 188.5 m
Fc = 1.89 x 104 N m = ?
Step 2: solve for m!

F = mv2/r
1.89 x 104 = m x (56.6) 2 / 188.5
m = 1110 kg
Name 3 things that happen
when a cable suddenly
breaks
• Tension suddenly disappears
and there is no more centripetal
force
• Circular motion will stop.
• The object will move in a straight

line with its tangential velocity
at the moment of the cable break
Ex1.Find the centripetal acceleration of a 2kg object that rotates with 13
rev/sec on a circle with a radius of 15 cm? What is the centripetal force?
2. A stone attached at the end of a cord and rotated in a horizontal circle by a

student. If the final speed of the stone double the initial speed, then what is the
centripetal force.
Unbanked and Banked Curves
When a car goes around a curve, there must be a net force towards the center of
the circle of which the curve is an arc.
On a level (unbanked) curve, the static frictional force provides the centripetal
force.
Friction force = Centripetal force

Ff = Fc
Ex 1. A 1000 kg car rounds a curve on a flat road of radius 50 m at a
speed of 50 km/h (14 m/s). Will the car follow the curve, or it will skid?
Assume
(a) the pavement is dry and the coefficient of static friction is μs=0.60;
(b) the pavement is icy and μs=0.25.
Banked Curves
On a frictionless banked curve, the centripetal force is the horizontal component of
the normal force. The vertical component of the normal force balances the car’s
weight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7o4jIta3qc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZOekFFSoWI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZP4lo8iZx8&list=RDCMUCG1-22fo1sIhXGuXYpTRqaA&start_radio=1&rv=7ZP4lo8iZx8&t=694
Ex1. A curve in a road has a radius of 750m. It is to be banked so that no
friction force is required for a car going at 30m/s to safely make the
curve. At what angle should it be banked?
2. The turns at the Speedway have a maximum radius of 316 m and are
steeply banked at 300. Suppose these turns were frictionless. As what
speed would the cars have to travel around them?
3. A cyclist rides around an unbanked (ﬂat) circular track at a constant
speed of 29.0km/hr. The coeﬃcient of static friction between the tires and
the track is 0.320. What is the minimum radius of the track, below which
the bike will slip?
4. Civil engineers generally bank curves on roads in such a manner that a car going
around the curve at the recommended speed does not have to rely on friction
between its tires and the road surface in order to round the curve. Suppose that the
radius of curvature of a given curve is 60 m and that the recommended speed is 40
km/h. At what angle should the curve be banked?
Vertical Circular Motion
When an object moves in a vertical circular motion, its speed vary around the
circle due to the effect of gravitational force.
At the bottom of the circle :

T1 - mg = mv2/r
T1 = mv2/r + mg
At the sides of the circle:
T2 = mv2/r
At the top of the circle:
T3+ mg = mv2/r
T3 = mv2/r – mg
If the object is at an angle θ from the vertical as shown in the figure
Fc = T – mgcosθ
mv2/r = T – mgcosθ
T = mv2/r + mgcosθ
Ex 1: A girl swings a 2kg ball attached to one end of a string in a vertical
circle of radius 0.5m. If the speed of the ball at the lowest point is 20m/s
a. What is the tension on the string at this point
b. What is the speed of the ball at the highest point
c. What is the tension on the string at the highest point
2. A particle of mass 20g, which is fastened at one end of a cord of length 1.5m, is
whirled about a vertical circle as shown in the figure. If the tension at the indicated
position(when θ=300) is 50N,
a. What is the tangential velocity v of the particle
b. What is the centripetal and tangential acceleration of the particle
c. What is the net acceleration at the indicated position
o
T
θ
m
v
3. A pendulum bob moves in a horizontal circle with constant angular
velocity w, as shown in the figure below. Find in terms of m,w,l and g
i. The angle θ
ii. The tension T in the string.
Problems
1. A stunt pilot of mass 80 kg flies in a vertical circle of radius
350 m at a constant speed of 70 ms-1. (Take g = 9.8 ms-2)
Calculate the force of the seat on him at:
(a) the top of the circle
(b) the sides of the circle when he is moving vertically
(c) the bottom of the circle
2. The maximum tension that a 0.50 m string can tolerate is 14 N. A
0.25-kg ball attached to this string is being whirled in a vertical
circle. What is the maximum speed the ball can have at the bottom
of the circle?
3. A toy car traveling in an horizontal circle of radius 2.3m at a
constant speed. The centripetal acceleration of the car is 3m/s2.
How long would it take for the toy car to complete one
revolution(i.e. it’s period)?
4. A 200g sphere attached to a spring undergoes uniform circular motion on a table.
If the extension of the spring is 5cm and its extended length is 30 cm, find the force
constant of the spring in N/m. The sphere makes 2 revolutions in 3s.
5. What should be the minimum speed of 200kg motor at the top of the loop in
order to stay in its circular motion? The radius of the circular loop is r.
6. An object hanged on a rope L=0.5m, does rotational motion. If the
angle between rope and vertical is 370, find the tangential velocity of
the object. (g=10m/s2, cos370=0,8, sin370=0,6)

Circular Motion

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Circular motion

2. what is the angular displacement of 2000 in radian.

This is called the Recurrence interval or Period (T)

Another measure for recurrence interval is frequency (f)

T and f are related: T=1/f f=1/T

b) Angular velocity of the object.

2. A wheel makes 180 revolution in 0.3min. Calculate the average

In uniform circular motion a particle is

Speed is distance / time, so……

The SI unit of tangential velocity is m/s.

The centripetal acceleration is written as:

The direction of the centripetal acceleration is towards the

4. If the radius of the curve on which an object is traveling is decreased by the

What is the plane’s mass?

Step 1: Find what is given

Step 2: solve for m!

• Circular motion will stop.

• The object will move in a straight

2. A stone attached at the end of a cord and rotated in a horizontal circle by a

Friction force = Centripetal force

At the bottom of the circle :

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