1

Uniform Circular Motion

=
2t
t
r


4
Quantifying Acceleration: Magnitude
v
1

v
2

Similar Triangles:
A A v
v
x
x
=
5
A
A
A
v
v
v t
r
v
v t
r
a
v
t
v
r
=

=

= =
2
2
Quantifying Acceleration: Magnitude
Centripetal Acceleration
6
Applying Newtons 2
nd
Law:
F ma
F
mv
r
=
=
2
Centripetal Force
Always points toward center of circle.
(Always changing direction!)
Centripetal force is the magnitude of the force
required to maintain uniform circular motion.
7
Direction of Centripetal Force,
Acceleration and Velocity
Without a centripetal
force, an object in
motion continues along
a straight-line path.
Without a centripetal
force, an object in
motion continues along
a straight-line path.
8
Direction of Centripetal Force,
Acceleration and Velocity
9
What if velocity decreases?
10
What if mass decreases?
11
What if radius decreases?
12
What provides the centripetal force?
Tension
Gravity
Friction
Normal Force
Centripetal force is NOT a new force. It is simply a
way of quantifying the magnitude of the force
required to maintain a certain speed around a circular
path of a certain radius.
13
Relationship Between Variables of Uniform
Circular Motion
Suppose two identical objects go around in
horizontal circles of identical diameter but one
object goes around the circle twice as fast as the
other. The force required to keep the faster object
on the circular path is
A. the same as
B. one fourth of
C. half of
D. twice
E. four times
the force required to keep the slower object on the path.
The answer is E. As the
velocity increases the
centripetal force required to
maintain the circle increases
as the square of the speed.

14
Relationship Between Variables of Uniform
Circular Motion
Suppose two identical objects go around in
horizontal circles with the same speed. The
diameter of one circle is half of the diameter of
the other. The force required to keep the object
on the smaller circular path is
A. the same as
B. one fourth of
C. half of
D. twice
E. four times
the force required to keep the object on the larger
path.
The answer is D. The centripetal force needed
to maintain the circular motion of an object is
inversely proportional to the radius of the circle.
Everybody knows that it is harder to navigate a
sharp turn than a wide turn.
15
Relationship Between Variables of Uniform
Circular Motion
Suppose two identical objects go around in horizontal circles of
identical diameter and speed but one object has twice the
mass of the other. The force required to keep the more
massive object on the circular path is
A. the same as
B. one fourth of
C. half of
D. twice
E. four times
Answer: D.The mass is directly
proportional to centripetal force.
16
Tension Can Yield a Centripetal Acceleration:
If the person doubles the
speed of the airplane,
what happens to the
tension in the cable?
F = ma
mv
r
=
2
Doubling the speed, quadruples the force (i.e.
tension) required to keep the plane in uniform circular
motion.
17
Friction Can Yield a Centripetal Acceleration:
18
Friction provides the centripetal acceleration
Car Traveling Around a Circular Track
19
Friction Can Yield a Centripetal Acceleration
W
F
N

f
s

Force X Y
W 0 -mg
F
N
0 F
N

f
s
-
s
F
N
0
Sum ma 0
What is the maximum
speed that a car can use
around a curve of radius
r?
20
Force X Y
W 0 -mg
F
N
0 F
N

F
C
-
s
F
N
0
Sum ma 0
F mg F
F mg
F ma mg
mv
r
mg
v g r
v g r
y N
N
x s
s
s
s
= = +
=
= =
=
=
=

0
2
2

max
max
max
max
Maximum Velocity
21
F = ma
mv
r
=
2
Centripetal Force: Question
Smaller radius: larger force
required to keep it in uniform
circular motion.
A car travels at a constant
speed around two curves.
Where is the car most likely to
skid? Why?
22
Gravity Can Yield a Centripetal Acceleration:
Hubble Space Telescope
orbits at an altitude of 598 km
(height above Earths surface).
What is its orbital speed?
23
Gravity and Centripetal Acceleration:
Centripetal acceleration provided by gravitational force
G m M
R
m v
R
E

=

2
2
24
Gravity and Centripetal Acceleration:
G m M
R
m v
R
E

=

2
2
Solve for the velocity.
v
G m M R
m R
v
G M
R
v
G M
R
E
E
E
2
2
2
=

=

=

25
Hubble Space Telescope:
v
GM
R km
v
v
E
E
=
+
=

=

598
6 67 10 974 10
7 600
11 24
( . ) (5.
,
m kg s kg)
6,976,000 m
m/ s
3 -1 -2
26
Banked Curves

Why exit ramps in highways are banked?
27
Banked Curves
Q: Why exit ramps in highways are banked?
28
Banked Curves
Q: Why exit ramps in highways are banked?
A: To increase the centripetal force for the higher exit speed.
29
The Normal Force Can Yield a Centripetal Acceleration:
How many forces are
acting on the car (assuming
no friction)?
Engineers have learned to bank curves so that
cars can safely travel around the curve without
relying on friction at all to supply the centripetal
acceleration.
30
Banked Curves
Why exit ramps in highways are banked?
F
N
cosu = mg
31
Banked Curves
Why exit ramps in highways are banked?
F
N
cosu = mg
32
The Normal Force as a Centripetal Force:
Two: Gravity and Normal
Force X Y
W 0 -mg
F
N
F
N
sinu F
N
cosu
Sum ma 0
33
The Normal Force as a Centripetal Force:
F mg F
mg
F F ma
mv
r
mg mv
r
v
gr
y N
x N
= + =
=
= = =
=
=

cos
cos
sin
cos
sin
tan
u
u
u
u
u
u
0
2
2
2
F
N
34
The Normal Force and Centripetal Acceleration:
tanu =
v
gr
2
How to bank a curve
so that you dont rely on friction at all!!
35
Artifical Gravity

36
Vertical Circular Motion
37
Vertical Circular Motion
38
The End!
1. A boy is swirling a cupful of water tied to
a string. The cup is in circular motion and
makes 20 revolutions in 4 seconds.
a. What is its period?
b. What is its frequency?
c. What is its speed if the length of the string
that holds the cup is 0.8 m?
d. How much force is acting on the cupful of
water to keep it in uniform circular motion if
its mass is 30g?
2. A 2000-lb bus rounds a curved tunnel on a
smooth, level road of radius 52 m at a speed
of 14 m/s. Determine if the bus will be able
to make the turn if the concrete road is dry
and the coefficient of static friction is 0.60.
3. A 1000-kg race car makes a turn of radius
0.40 km at 70 km/h. if the road is banked at
an angle of 16, will a friction force be
required? If so, how much force is needed?
4. A killer bat with a mass of 2000 g is flying
at a velocity of 5 m/s around a high-fenced
campsite with a radius of 100 m.
a. Find the centripetal force of the bat.
b. If another bat three-fourths of its size but
having twice its velocity flies with it, do
they have the same centripetal force?
What is the velocity of a motorbike
rounding the Monumento circle if it has a
mass of 50 kg and a centripetal force of 100
lbs, assuming that the radius of the circle is
10 m?
A driver and a car weigh a total of 2000 lbs.
when the car rounds a corner at an
intersection, it is temporarily in a circular
path. The radius of that circle is about 4.6
m. what is the force exerted by the road on
the car if it makes that turn at 15 miles per
hour
1. The wheels of a racing car revolve at 2000
rpm then slow down uniformly to 1500
rpm in 3 s. Determine
a. the angular acceleration of the wheel
b. the number of revolutions each wheel
makes in the given time
2. On top of a lighthouse, a pendulum 1.55 m
long has a period of 2.51 s. What is the
acceleration due to gravity?


3. A. 0.013-kg cork is attached to a 0.93 m
length of string. The cork is whirled in a
horizontal circle, making one revolution in
1.18 s.
a. Find the speed of the cork.
b. Find the centripetal acceleration.
c. Find the force the string exerts on it.

1. A girl is swirling a cupful of water tied to
a string. The cup is in circular motion and
makes 25 revolutions in 5 seconds.
a. What is its period?
b. What is its frequency?
c. What is its speed if the length of the string
that holds the cup is 0.88 m?
d. How much force is acting on the cupful of
water to keep it in uniform circular motion if
its mass is 35g?
2. A. 0.25-kg cork is attached to a 0.85 m
length of string. The cork is whirled in a
horizontal circle, making one revolution in
2.81 s.
a. Find the speed of the cork.
b. Find the centripetal acceleration.
c. Find the force the string exerts on it.