Dynamics of

Circular Motion

Types of Circular Motion

Centripetal Force
Centripetal Acceleration
Horizontal Circle
Vertical Circle
Banking of Curves
Conical Pendulum

CIRCULAR MOTION
- Motion of a body in a curved path
TYPES:
Uniform Circular Motion, UCM motion with
constant speed
Ex. A car rounding an oval at 30 KPH

Non-Uniform circular Motion, NUCM a roller

coaster car that slows down and speeds up as it
moves around a vertical loop.

DEFINITION OF UNIFORM CIRCULAR MOTION

Uniform circular motion is the motion of an object
traveling at a constant speed on a circular path.

S
c

r
V

Conversion:
1 rev = 360 = 2 rad

v vt

v
r

Centripetal
Acceleration

v v

t
r

S
2

v
ac
r

Concept in Uniform Circular Motion

A Body Moving In Circular Path on a

Flat Horizontal Surface

Vertical Circular
2
v1
Motion
F mg m
N1

2
2

FN 2

v
m
r

FN 4

v42
m
r

2
3

v
FN 3 mg m
r

Definition of Terms

Period, T - time it takes for the object to

travel once around the circle. (sec)
Frequency, f no. of cycles/revolutions per unit time
(rev/sec, cycles/sec, hertz)

2 r
v
T

= 1/

Recall Newtons Second Law

When a net external force acts on an object
of mass m, the acceleration that results is
directly proportional to the net force and has
a magnitude that is inversely proportional to
the mass. The direction of the acceleration is
the same as the direction of the net force.

F ma

Thus, 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.
2

v
Fc mac m
r

Banked
On an unbanked curve, the static frictional force
Curves
provides the centripetal force.

Car Rounding a Flat Curve at Constant Speed

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 cars weight.

Banked Curves ( Neglecting

Friction)

v2
Fc n sin m
r

n cos mg

v2
tan
rg

n cos

Banked
Curves
Example : The Daytona 500
The turns at the Daytona International Speedway have a
maximum radius of 316 m and are steely banked at 31
degrees. Suppose these turns were frictionless. As what
speed would the cars have to travel around them?

v2
tan
rg

316 m 9.8 m

v rg tan

s tan 31 43 m s 96 mph
2

Summary