Centripetal Force Lab Report

Introduction

Any motion in a curved path represents accelerated motion,

and requires a force directed toward the center of curvature of the
path. This force is called the centripetal force which means "center
seeking" force. There is the quantitative relationship between
centripetal force and mass, speed, and radius. Is value is based on
three factors: 1) the velocity of the object as it follows the circular
path; 2) the object's distance from the center of the path; and 3)
the mass of the object.
Swinging a mass on a string requires string tension, and the
mass will travel off in a tangential straight line if the string breaks.
The centripetal acceleration can be derived for the case of
circular motion since the curved path at any point can be
extended to a circle.
2
𝑣
The formula for the centripetal acceleration is 𝑟

2
𝑣
The formula for the net centripetal force is 𝑚 𝑟

The centripetal force is proportional to the square of the velocity,

implying that a doubling of speed will require four times the
centripetal force to keep the motion in a circle. If the centripetal
force must be provided by friction alone on a curve, an increase in
speed could lead to an unexpected skid if friction is insufficient.
Objective

The objective of this lab is to investigate the relationship

between the speed of an object in Uniform Circular Motion (UCM)
and the radius of the object.

Materials

● Centripetal force apparatus

● Meter stick
● Data & analysis sheet
● Washers or weights
● Stopwatch
● String
● Glass tube

Set up

First, we measure the length of the radius we want and then

clip the rope with a paperclip to make sure that while we are
whirling, the radius will stay at the length we are doing an
experiment on. From 4 of us, one is whirling the ball, one records
the data, one counts the number of the rotation, and another one
uses a stopwatch to measure the time. After each experiment
finishes, we switch the position to give everyone a chance to do
everything.
Procedure

1. Weigh the ball at the end of the stick and record data
2. Clip the string at the length of 60 cm
3. Continuously spin the stick and maintain the margin between
the clip and the end of the stick
4. Use a stopwatch to measure the time for 30 rotations and
record the data
5. Change the position of the clip and repeat steps 2-4 for 50
cm, 40 cm, and 30 cm, respectively
6. Collect the data and calculate the time taken for one
rotation, speed, and centripetal force
Experimental data & result

Radius Time taken for Time Spee 𝑉

2 centripeta
(r) 30 rotations taken d (V) l force
In In sec for one 2
2π𝑟 𝑚𝑉
meters rotation 𝑇 𝐹𝑐 =
Trial Trial Aver 𝑟
(T)
1 2 age
In sec

1 0.6 13.6 11.32 12.46 0.42 8.98 80. 0.69

0 57
2 0.5 12.72 13.94 13.33 0.44 7.13 50. 0.52
83
3 0.4 10.5 10.88 10.69 0.36 7.06 49.8 0.65
0 4
4 0.3 10.70 10.79 10.75 0.36 5.24 27.4 0.48
6
Analysis of results
According to the result, every 4 trials have a different result.
First, the rope with a 0.6 meters radius takes an average of 12.46
seconds in 30 rotations, 0.42 seconds per one rotation, 8.98
meters per second, and the centripetal force is 0.69 newton.
Second, the rope with a 0.5 meters radius takes an average of
13.33 seconds in 30 rotations, 0.44 seconds per one rotation, 7.13
meters per second, and the centripetal force is 0.52 newton. Next,
the rope with a 0.4 meters radius takes an average of 10.69
seconds in 30 rotations, 0.36 second per one rotation, 7.06 meter
per second, and the centripetal force is 0.65 newton. Then, the
rope with 0.3 meters radius takes an average of 10.75 seconds in
30 rotations, 0.36 second per one rotation, 5.24 meter per second,
and the centripetal force is 0.48 newton.

Conclusions
As a result, our data seems to match the theoretical
statement. From the graph, we can state that as the centripetal
force is large, the square of the speed is also large. Except when
the radius is between 0.4 to 0.5 meters, we might do something
wrong which maybe when we count the rounds. But for the overall
data, the centripetal force is directly proportional to the square of
the speed.
Recommendations
In my opinion, there are a few mistakes in the lab. I think we
should use a better thing to limit the length of the string which
represents the radius instead of using the post-it paper with the
paper clip. While we whirl the ball, we need to make sure that there
is a little space between the clip and the glass tube because if the
clip touches the bottom of the glass tube, the weight s are no
longer supplying the centripetal force. I think we missed this little
point some rounds that we whirl. And I think the time result for
each round is not accurate at all because it comes from people
watching and counting when whirl. Our eyes are not accurate, for
the more accurate lab, we should use some sensoring machine to
count instead of people counting like this.

References

Carl R. (Rod) Nave. Centripetal Force. Retrieved from

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/cf.html

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/circles/Lesson-1/The-C
entripetal-Force-Requirement

http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/C/Centripetal+Force
https://study.com/academy/lesson/centripetal-force-definition-f
ormula-examples.html
Work log

● Praew
○ procedures
○ Experimental data and results
○ Work log
● Meiling
○ Introduction
○ Materials
○ Recommendations
● View
○ Objective
○ Set up
○ References
● Rongkhaw
○ Analysis of results
○ Conclusion