AP 1 GRAVITATION AND UNIFORM CIRCULAR

MOTION

Rotation Angle and Angular Velocity

Measure angle in radians 弧度制

For one complete revolution

Radian-degree conversion

Angular velocity

Unit: (从单位看角速度不是真正的速度)

Linear velocity

Larger-radius at the same angular velocity ( ) will produce a greater linear speed ( )
Centripetal Acceleration 向心加速度

In uniform circular motion, object is at a constant speed but the direction of velocity is changing. The object is
accelerating.

Def: The acceleration of the object towards the centre of the circle

Eq:

Derivation

Two vector triangles are similar

和 方向相同

Centripetal force 向心力

The net force on an object moving around a circle at constant speed towards the centre of the circle

Radius

For a given mass and velocity, a large centripetal force causes a small radius of curvature.
Unbanked Road

Friction is to the left, keeping the car from slipping. Because it is the only horizontal force acting on the car, the friction is
the centripetal force in this case.

For no slipping to occur, there is a maximum , thus followed with a maximum speed

Banked Road

For ideal banked curve, no friction.

A large will be obtained for a large and a small .

Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation

Def: Every particle in the universe attracts every other particle with a force along a line joining them. The force is
directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between
them.

G: gravitational constant

On surface of Earth

is the radius of Earth, therefore is a constant for all masses.

The Cavendish Experiment

Satellites and Kepler's Laws

Kepler's First Law

The orbit of each planet about the Sun is an ellipse with the Sun at one focus.

Kepler's Second Law

Each planet moves so that an imaginary line drawn from the Sun to the planet sweeps out equal areas in equal times

Kepler's Third Law

The ratio of the squares of the periods of any two planets about the Sun is equal to the ratio of the cubes of their average
distances from the Sun.

where is the period (time for one orbit) and is the average radius.

Derivation of Kepler's Third Law for Circular Orbits

Consider a circular orbit of a small mass m around a large mass M. Gravity supplies the centripetal force to mass .