Vectors and kinematics

BITS Pilani
Hyderabad Campus
Recap

 Choice of coordinate system

 Reviewed Cartesian coordinate system
 Polar coordinates
 2D  Plane polar coordinates (r, )
 3D  (i) Spherical polar coordinates (r, , )
(ii) Cylindrical polar coordinates (r, , z)

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Recap

Z Z

r (r, , z) (r, , )
r
z 

 r Y  Y

Cylindrical polar Spherical polar

X coordinate system X
coordinate system
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Recap

r (r, )


X

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Recap

Y ˆ ȓ

ˆ ȓ
r
r
X

Is non zero
ȓ is direction
dependent
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
v  vr rˆ  vˆ

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Recap

v  vr rˆ  v ˆ

Radial velocity Vr Tangential velocity V

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Today’s class

 Acceleration in polar coordinates

BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus

Example 1.14 Velocity of a
bead on a spoke
A bead moves along the spoke of a wheel with a
constant speed u m/s. The wheel rotates with a
constant angular velocity  rad/s about an axis
fixed in space.
At t = 0 the spoke is along
the x – axis and the bead is
at the origin. Find the
bead’s velocity at time t (a)
in polar coordinates and (b)
in Cartesian coordinates.
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Solution
(a) Polar coordinates

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(b) Cartesian coordinates v vr
sin 

cos 

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Acceleration in polar
coordinates

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 
a  ar rˆ  a ˆ
Radial acceleration

Linear acceleration in
Centripetal acceleration 
radial direction  due
change in the direction of
to change in radial
v
speed
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change in the direction of v
v  v 
v + v
dv
 v   r 2
 v dt
v
r+r

 v + v v a

r 

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Tangential acceleration

Linear acceleration Coriolis acceleration

due to change in
tangential velocity

Coriolis acceleration occurs when r and  depends

on time

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Coriolis force

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 change in the direction of vr
vr + vr
vr + vr  vr
r+r
vr
 One half of
r vr Coriolis
acceleration
 Second half of Coriolis acceleration =
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Example 1.16 Acceleration of a
bead on a spoke

A bead moves outward with a constant speed u

along the spoke of a wheel. It starts from the
center at t = 0. The angular position of the spoke
is given by  = t, where  is a constant. Find the
velocity and acceleration.
Solution

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BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus
Problem
A stone is twirling on the end
of a string of fixed length.
Find (a) radial velocity and
(b) radial acceleration.

vr = 0
change in the
direction of v
 gives centripetal
ar  r 2 rˆ acceleration
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Simple pendulum
1
E  mv 2  mgy
2

v  rrˆ  rˆ  lˆ l cos l
For small  s
2
θ y
y  l 1  cosθ   l
2
dE
 0
dt
1 2 2 1  g
 E  ml   mglθ 2  θ  θ  0
2 2 l g
 ω0 
l
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