Introduction to

Uniform Circular Motion

Worked problem 1
Worked Problem 2

This problem above

get same
procedure/answer
with the problem
beside
Centripetal Force
 Uniform Circular Motion

An object moves at uniform

speed in a circle of constant
radius.
Uniform circular motion is
accelerated motion. Why?
 Centrifugal Force
It’s a myth!
We need to go back to
Newton’s Laws to properly
explain the feeling you get on
a merry-go-round or in a
turning car.
When a car accelerates
You, as a passenger, feel as
if you are flung backward.
Your inertia (mass) resists
acceleration.
You are NOT flung
backward. Your body wants
to remain at rest as the
car accelerates forward.
 When a car decelerates
You, as a passenger, feel as
if you are flung forward.
Your inertia (mass) resists
the negative acceleration.
You are NOT flung
forward. Your body wants
to remain in motion at
constant velocity as the
car accelerates backwards.
 When a car turns

You feel as if you are flung to the outside. Your

inertia resists acceleration.
You are not flung out, your body simply wants
to keep moving in straight line motion!
 As a general rule
Whenever you feel you are flung in a
certain direction, you can bet the
acceleration is pointing in the opposite
direction.
Remember the elevator problems?
When you feel you are flying up,
acceleration of the elevator is down.
When you feel you are sinking down,
acceleration is up.
 Acceleration in Uniform
Circular Motion
The velocity vector at any given point is
subjected to an acceleration that turns
it, but does not speed it up or slow it
down.
The acceleration vector is always at
right angles to the velocity.
The acceleration points toward the
center of the circle.
Acceleration in Uniform
Circular Motion
The acceleration responsible
for uniform circular motion
is referred to as centripetal
acceleration.
 Centripetal
Acceleration v
• ac = v /r
2
a
ac: centripetal c
acceleration in m/s2
v ac
v: tangential speed in ac
m/s
v
r: radius in meters

Centripetal acceleration always points

toward center of circle!
Circular Motion Vectors
Circular Motion Vectors

Elliptical Paths
Force in Uniform Circular
Motion
A force responsible for uniform
circular motion is referred to as a
centripetal force.
Centripetal force is simply mass
times centripetal acceleration.
Fc = mac
 Centripetal Force
v
• Fc = m ac Fc

• Fc = m v / r
2
Fc
Fc: centripetal force v
in N
Fc

v: tangential speed in v

m/s Always toward
center of circle!
r: radius in meters
 More on Centripetal Force
Centripetal force is not a unique type of
force.
Centripetal forces always arise from other
forces.
You can always identify the real force
which is causing the centripetal
acceleration.
Nearly any kind of force can act as a
centripetal force.
Friction as centripetal force
As a car makes a
turn, the force of
friction acting upon
the turned wheels of
the car provide the
centripetal force
required for circular
motion.
Tension as centripetal force
As a bucket of water is
tied to a string and
spun in a circle, the
force of tension acting
upon the bucket
provides the
centripetal force
required for circular
motion.
Gravity as centripetal force
As the moon orbits the
Earth, the force of
gravity acting upon the
moon provides the
centripetal force
required for circular
motion.
Normal force as centripetal
force
An automobile turning
on a banked curve uses
the normal force to
provide the necessary
centripetal force.
 Weight on a string
moving in vertical
circle
Centripetal
force arises
from
combination
of tension
and gravity.
Loop de loop of a
Roller Coaster

Centripetal force
when you are upside
down arises from a
combination of
normal force and
gravity.