UNIFORM

CIRCULAR
MOTION
P O RT I A A . E G K E N , E d . D
 ALL CIRCULAR MOTION REQUIRES A
CENTRIPETAL FORCE, OTHERWISE THE
BODY CONTINUES IN A STRAIGHT LINE PATH.

Circular motion = is the motion of a

body along a circle
GOING IN CIRCLES

Bart swings the tennis ball around his head in a

circle. The ball is accelerating, what force makes
it accelerate? The tension in the string!
UNIFORM CIRCULAR MOTION

The speed stays

constant, but the
direction changes R v

The acceleration in this case

is called
centripetal acceleration
CENTRIPETAL ACCELERATION, A C

aC
R

v
The acceleration
points toward the
center of the circle
CENTRIPETAL ACCELERATION

toward the
center
of the circle
 MAGNITUDE OF CENTRIPETAL
ACCELERATION
• The centripetal acceleration depends on two factors 
a) the speed with which you take the turn and
b) how tight the turn is
• More acceleration is required with a higher speed turn
• more acceleration is required with a tighter turn smaller
radius of curvature
 V= d/t
▪ The distance traveled by the ball in one
revolution is equal to circumference

C = 2r
V= 2r /T V= 2rf
Period (T) = time required for an object to make one
complete revolution.
Frequency (f) = number of revolution completed by the
object in a given time
CENTRIPETAL ACCELERATION
• centripetal acceleration v2
aC =
R
• a force is needed to produce this centripetal
acceleration CENTRIPETAL FORCE
 CENTRIPETAL FORCE
v2
Fc = mv2
aC = from Fc = ma r
R
▪ directed toward the center of the circular path
• To keep the speed of the object constant, the magnitude
of this force must also be constant

CENTRIFUGAL FORCE = directed away from the

circle’s center. Opposite force as a reaction to the
centripetal force. (It is not a real force)
WIDE TURNS AND TIGHT TURNS

little R

big R
for the same speed,
the tighter turn
requires more
acceleration
 f=1 rev/sec , T = 1 , time/rev
T f

1 revolution = 360 degrees = 2  radians

= 2(3.1416)
= 6.28 rad

 = angular velocity  = 2rf ,  = 2r

T
a = v2 / r

Fc = m v 2 / r
w = /t (rad/s) v = d/t
 =  t (rad) d = vt
 = o t + ½ t2 d = vo t + ½ at2
 = o + t v = vo + at
q = (2 - o2) d = v2 - vo2
2 2a
 = angular displacement
 = angular acceleration
• An electric drill whirls at 60 rad/s. If
the drill has a radius of 0.002 m,
what is the tangential speed of a
point on the surface of the electric
drill’s bit?
vt = rw
vt = 0.002m (60 rad/s)

vt = 0.12 m/s 
A propeller with a diameter of 2.5 m spins
at 1.91 rev/s. Determine the rotational speed
of the propeller in radians per second and
the tangential speed of a point on its
surface.

vt = rw r = d/2
vt = 1.25 (12rad/s) r = 2.5m /2
= 15m/s r = 1.25m

1.91rev/s 6.28rad = 12rad/s

1 rev
ROTATION ANGLE AND ANGULAR VELOCITY

• Rotation Angle - When

objects rotate about some
axis—for example, when
the CD (compact disc)
• object follows a circular
arc.
ROTATION ANGLE AND ANGULAR VELOCITY
• Consider a line from the center of
the CD to its edge. Each pit used
to record sound along this line
moves through the same angle in
the same amount of time. The
rotation angle is the amount of
rotation and is analogous to linear
distance. We define the rotation
angle Δθ to be the ratio of the arc
length to the radius of curvature:
 ∆ϴ = ∆ѕ
r
The arc length Δs is the distance traveled
along a circular path.

For one complete revolution, the arc

length is the circumference of a circle of
radius r. (2πr.) Thus for one complete
revolution the rotation angle is

∆ϴ = 2∏r ∆ϴ = 2∏
r
• If Δθ = 2π rad, then the CD has made one complete
revolution,
• the relationship between radians and degrees is thus
2π rad = 360º so that

3600
1 rad =
6.28 rad
= 5.73 0
 ANGULAR VELOCITY

How fast is an object rotating? We define angular velocity ω as

the rate of change of an angle. In symbols, this is

where an angular rotation Δθ takes place in a time Δt. The greater

the rotation angle in a given amount of time, the greater the angular
velocity. The units for angular velocity are radians per second
(rad/s).
Angular velocity ω is analogous to linear velocity v. To get the
precise relationship between angular and linear velocity,

v = ∆ѕ
∆t

∆ϴ = ∆s we see that Δs = rΔθ. Substituting this into the

expression for v gives
r
v = r∆ϴ v = rw
∆t
• states that the linear
velocity v is proportional to the
distance from the center of
rotation, thus, it is largest for a
point on the rim (largest r), as
you might expect. We can also
call this linear speed v of a point
on the rim the tangential speed.
The second relationship in
 EXAMPLE 1. HOW FAST DOES A CAR TIRE SPIN?

Calculate the angular velocity of a 0.300 m radius car

tire when the car travels at 15.0 m/s (about 54 km/h).

w = v
r
w = 15m/s
When we cancel units in the above calculation, we
0.30m
get 50.0/s. But the angular velocity must have units
of rad/s. Because radians are actually unitless w = 50 rad/s
(radians are defined as a ratio of distance), we can
simply insert them into the answer for the angular
velocity.
Ex. 1.A girl is playing with her foot jump. The ball in her
footjump makes 20 revolutions in 4 secs.

a. Determine the Period

b. If the length of the cord that holds the
ball is 0.8m, what is its speed

c. Determine the centripetal force

if the ball has a mass of 3g
Ex. 1.A girl is playing with her foot jump. The ball in her
footjump makes 20 revolutions in 4 secs.
a. Determine the Period
T = time/rev T= 4s
20rev f = 1/T
f = 1/0.2 sec
T = 0.2 s f = 5 rev/s
 Ex. 1.A girl is playing with her foot jump. The ball in her
footjump makes 20 revolutions in 4 secs.

b. If the length of the cord that holds the ball

is 0.8m, what is its speed

v = 2r
v = 2 rf T
v = 2(3.1416)(0.5)
v = 2(3.1416)(0.8m)(5rev/s) 0.2 s

v = 25.13m/s v = 25.13m/s
Ex. 1.A girl is playing with her foot jump. The ball was tied
on a 0.5m string and makes 20 revolutions in 5 secs.
c. Determine the centripetal force if the
ball has a mass of 3g

Fc = mv2 Fc = mac
r
Fc = (0.003kg)(25.13m/s)2
0.8m
Fc = 2.37N
Ex. 2. An exhaust fan in Chem lab revolving at
2000rpm slows down uniformly to 1500rpm in 3
secs.
a.
Determine the Angular  = o t + ½ t2
Acceleration () of the fan
 = o + t
q = (2 - o2)
 =  - o 2
t
Ex. 2. An exhaust fan in Chem lab revolving at
2000rpm slows down uniformly to 1500rpm in 3
secs.
a. Determine the Angular Acceleration ()

 =  - o = 157rad/s - 209.33 rad/s = -17.44 rad/s2

t 3 secs

2000rev/min x 6.28 rad x 1min = 209.33 rad/s

1 rev 60 secs
1500rev/min = 157 rad/s
Ex. 2. An exhaust fan in Chem lab revolving at
2000rpm slows down uniformly to 1500rpm in 3
secs.
b. Number of revolutions it makes in this time
 = rad to rev q = (2 - o2)
q = ave t 2

q = 157 + 209.33 3sec q = ave t

2
q = 549.50 rad x 1 rev = 87.5 rev
6.28 rad
CENTRIPETAL FORCE & ACCELERATION PROBLEMS

a 1000 kg car rounds a turn of 30 meter radius at 9

m/s. (a) what is its acceleration ? (b) what is the
centripetal force ?

v = 9 m/s r = 30 m

• (a) acentripetal = v2 / r = 9 2 / 30 = 2.7 m /s2

• (b) Fcentripetal = m v2 / r = m x ac = 1000 x 2.7 = 2700N
NEGOTIATING A FLAT (LEVEL) TURN
• The centripetal force is
provided by the friction force
between the road and tires.
• this force is reduced if the
road is wet or icy
WHAT’S THIS CENTRIFUGAL FORCE ? ?
• The red object will make the
turn only if there is enough
friction on it
• otherwise it goes straight
• the apparent outward force is
object on called the centrifugal force
the dashboard • it is NOT A REAL force!
• an object will not move in a
circle until something makes
straight line
object naturally
it!
follows
Centripetal force & acceleration problems
a car is traveling at 20 mph on a level road with a coefficient of
friction of 0.80. what is the maximum curve radius ?

 = 0.80
v = 20mph r=?m

20mph x 1609.34m x I hr = 8.94 m/s

I mile 3600 s
• The centripetal force which allows the car to round the curve is supplied by friction.

•Ff =  Fn when the car is on level ground the normal force is the car’s weight w =

mg
Centripetal force & acceleration problems
a car is traveling at 20 mph on a level road with a coefficient of
friction of 0.80. what is the maximum curve radius ?

 = 0.80
v = 20mph r=?m

• Centripetal force is given by mv2/r

• Fc = Ff ,  mg = mv2/r , canceling mass from both sides leaves  g = v2/r and
rearranging the equation,

r = v2/ ( g)

r = (8.94)2/ ( 0.80 x 9.8) =

Centripetal force & acceleration problems
a car is traveling at 20 mph on a level road with a coefficient of
friction of 0.80. what is the maximum curve radius ?

 = 0.80
v = 20mph r=?m

Fc = mv2/r
Fc = Ff , mg = mv2/r
canceling mass from both sides leaves g = v2/r and
rearranging the equation,
r= v2 = (29.4)2 = (29.4)2
( g) (0.80 x 32) (0.80 x 9.8) = 10.19 m
• Work is intimately related to energy and how energy
moves from one system to another or changes form.
▪ For work, in the scientific sense, to be done, a force must
be exerted and there must be motion or displacement in the
direction of the force.

▪W = |F| (cosθ) |d|, where W is work, d is the displacement

of the system, and θ is the angle between the force
vector F and the displacement vector d, as in Figure 1. We
can also write this as W = Fd cos θ.
The person holding the
briefcase in does no work, for
example. Here d = 0, so W = 0.
Why is it you get tired just
holding a load? The answer is
that your muscles are doing
work against one another, but
they are doing no work on the
system of interest (the
“briefcase-Earth system”—see 
Gravitational Potential Energy
 for more details).
 EXAMPLE 1. CALCULATING THE WORK YOU DO TO PUSH A
LAWN MOWER ACROSS A LARGE LAWN

How much work is done on the lawn mower by the person in Figure 1a if
he exerts a constant force of 75.0 N at an angle 35º below the horizontal
and pushes the mower 25.0 m on level ground? Convert the amount of
work from joules to kilocalories and compare it with this person’s average
daily intake of 10,000 kJ (about 2400 kcal) of food energy. One calorie (1
cal) of heat is the amount required to warm 1 g of water by 1ºC, and is
equivalent to 4.184 J, while one food calorie (1 kcal) is equivalent to 4184
J.
 W = Fd cos θ. W = (1536 J)(1 kcal/4184 J) =
W = 75N (25m) cos 35 0.367 kcal. The ratio of the
W = 1536 J work done to the daily
consumption is
0.367 kcal
2400kcal = 1.53 x 10-3
or

0.00153 
Very little of the energy released in the consumption of food is used to do work.
Even when we “work” all day long, less than 10% of our food energy intake is
used to do work and more than 90% is converted to thermal energy or stored as
chemical energy in fat.
W = Fd cosϴ W = 15 N (1.5m ) cos 40
W = 17.23 Joule
 Net work and the Work-energy Theorem

• Substituting Fnet = ma from Newton’s second law gives

Wnet = mad , subtitute

When a is substituted into the preceding expression for W net,

we obtain
• In the work-energy theorem is defined to be the translational
kinetic energy (KE) of a mass m moving at a speed v.

KE = ½ mv2
Kinetic energy is a form of energy associated with the motion
Suppose a 30.0-kg package on the roller belt conveyor system in
Figure is moving at 0.500 m/s. What is its kinetic energy?

KE = ½ mv2 KE = 0.5 (30kg)

(0.500m/s)2
KE = 3.75
J
Suppose that you push on the 30.0-kg package in Figure with a
constant force of 120 N through a distance of 0.800 m, and that
the opposing friction force averages 5.00 N.
1.Calculate the net work done on the package.
2.Solve the same problem as in part 1, this time by finding the work
done by each force that contributes to the net force.
Suppose that you push on the 30.0-kg package in Figure with a
constant force of 120 N through a distance of 0.800 m, and that
the opposing friction force averages 5.00 N.

The net force is the push force minus friction, or Fnet = 120 N –
5.00 N = 115 N. Thus the net work is

W = Fd W = 115N (0.80m) W = 92 J
2. The forces acting on the package are gravity, the normal force,
the force of friction, and the applied force. The normal force and
force of gravity are each perpendicular to the displacement, and
therefore do no work.
The applied force does work.

Wapp = Fd

Wapp = Fapp (cos 0)d

W = 120N (0.800m) W = 96 J
The friction force and displacement are in opposite directions, so
that θ=180º, and the work done by friction is

Wf = Fd

Wf = Ff (cos 180)d
W = - 5.0N (0.800m) W = - 4.0 J
So the amounts of work done by gravity, by the normal force, by the
applied force, and by friction are, respectively,

Wgr = 0
WN = 0
Wapp = 96 J
Wfr = - 4.0J

The total work done as the sum of the work done by each force
is then seen to be 
Wtotal = Wgr +WN + Wapp + Wfr = 92.0 J.
 Find the speed of the package in Figure 3 at the end of the push,
using work and energy

KE = ½ mv – ½ mvo
2 2

The work-energy theorem in equation form is

Work = ½ mv – ½ mvo 2 2

½ mv2 = W + ½ mvo2
0.5 (30kg) v = 92J +
2 v2 = 92J + 3.75J
3.75J 15kg
v = 2.53 m/s
How far does the package in Figure 3 coast after the push,
assuming friction remains constant? Use work and energy

Wfr = Fd To reduce the K.E. of the package

to zero, the work Wfr by friction
d = Wfr must be minus the kinetic energy
Ffr that the package started with plus
what the package accumulated due
d = -95.75J to the pushing. 

5.0N
d = 19.15 m
 WORK DONE AGAINST GRAVITY
• We define this to be the gravitational potential energy
(PEg)
• An object’s gravitational potential is due to its position
relative to the surroundings within the Earth-object
system.
• Gravitational potential energy may be converted to other
forms of energy, such as kinetic energy.
• we define the change in gravitational potential energy
ΔPEg to be ΔPEg = mgh,
• For example, if a 0.500-kg mass hung from a cuckoo
clock is raised 1.00 m, then its change in gravitational
potential energy is
• mgh = 0.5kg (9.8m/s2) (1m)
= 4.90 J
EXAMPLE 1. THE FORCE TO STOP FALLING

A 60.0-kg person jumps onto the floor from a height of 3.00 m.

If he lands stiffly (with his knee joints compressing by 0.500
cm), calculate the force on the knee joints.
 EXAMPLE 1. THE FORCE TO STOP FALLING
A 60.0-kg person jumps onto the floor from a height of 3.00 m.
If he lands stiffly (with his knee joints compressing by 0.500
cm), calculate the force on the knee joints.

The work done on the person by the floor as he stops is given

by W = Fd cos θ = −Fd, with a minus sign because the
displacement while stopping and the force from floor are in
opposite directions (cos θ = cos 180º =  −1). The floor removes
energy from the system, so it does negative work.
 EXAMPLE 1. THE FORCE TO STOP FALLING
A 60.0-kg person jumps onto the floor from a height of 3.00 m.
If he lands stiffly (with his knee joints compressing by 0.500
cm), calculate the force on the knee joints.

The kinetic energy the person has upon reaching the floor is the
amount of potential energy lost by falling through height h: KE =
−ΔPEg = −mgh.

Combining this equation with the expression

for W gives −Fd = mgh.
 EXAMPLE 1. THE FORCE TO STOP FALLING
A 60.0-kg person jumps onto the floor from a height of 3.00 m.
If he lands stiffly (with his knee joints compressing by 0.500
cm), calculate the force on the knee joints.

Combining this equation with the expression

for W gives −Fd = mgh.
Recalling that h is negative because the person fell down, the force on the
knee joints is given by
2. Finding the speed of a roller coaster from its height

• What is the final speed of the roller coaster shown in the Figure if it
starts from rest at the top of the 20.0 m hill and work done by
frictional forces is negligible?
• What is its final speed (again assuming negligible friction) if its initial
speed is 5.00 m/s?
2. Finding the speed of a roller coaster from its height

• The roller coaster loses potential energy as it goes downhill.

• The loss of gravitational potential energy from moving downward
through a distance h equals the gain in kinetic energy. This can be
written in equation form as −ΔPEg = ΔKE.
 2. Finding the speed of a roller coaster from its height

• −ΔPEg = ΔKE
- mgh = 1/2mv2
• Solving for v, we find that mass cancels and that
v = √2g h = 2 (9.8m/s2)(20m) = 19.78m/s
2. Finding the speed of a roller coaster from its height
Again −ΔPEg = ΔKE. In this case
there is initial kinetic energy, so

-mgh = ½ mv2 – ½ mvo2

v = 2gh + vo2 v = vo2 + 2ad

v = (2) 9.8m/s2 ) (20m) + (5m/s2)2

v = 20.42 m/s2
 POTENTIAL ENERGY OF A SPRING
• (Hooke’s law was examined in Elasticity: Stress and Strain,
and states that the magnitude of force F on the spring and the
resulting deformation ΔL are proportional, F = kΔL.)
For our spring, we will replace ΔL (the amount of deformation
 

produced by a force F) by the distance x that the spring is stretched or

compressed along its length. So the force needed to stretch the spring
has magnitude F = kx, where k is the spring’s force constant.
 POTENTIAL ENERGY OF A SPRING
• Thus the work done in stretching or compressing the spring is

We therefore define the potential energy of a spring, PEs, to be

where k is the spring’s force constant and x is the displacement from its
undeformed position. 
1. Using conservation of mechanical energy to calculate the
speed of a toy car

A 0.100-kg toy car is propelled by a compressed spring, as shown in Figure 3.

The car follows a track that rises 0.180 m above the starting point. The spring is
compressed 4.00 cm and has a force constant of 250.0 N/m. Assuming work done
by friction to be negligible, find the following:

a. How fast is the car going before it starts up the slope?

b. How fast is it going at the top of the slope?
The spring force and the gravitational force are conservative forces, so
conservation of mechanical energy can be used. Thus,
KEi + PEi = KEf + PEf
 KEi + PEi = KEf + PEf

This part of the problem is limited to conditions just before the car is released
and just after it leaves the spring. 
Take the initial height to be zero, so that both hi and hf are zero. Furthermore, the
initial speed vi is zero and the final compression of the spring xf is zero, and so
several terms in the conservation of mechanical energy equation are zero and it
simplifies to
In other words, the initial potential energy in the spring is converted completely
to kinetic energy

Vf = k x Vf = 250N/m (0.400m)
Vf = 2m/s
m 0.100kg
One method of finding the speed at the top of the slope is to consider conditions
just before the car is released and just after it reaches the top of the slope,
completely ignoring everything in between. Doing the same type of analysis to
find which terms are zero, the conservation of mechanical energy becomes

Vf = 0.687m/s
END
 θ=400=

dy=5m
2.3 m=
=

dx=3m
=