Topic

 6:  Circular  motion  and  gravitation  

Topic 6.1: Circular motion

1. Points P and Q are at distances R and 2R respectively from the centre X of a disc, as shown
below.

P 2R
R
X

The disc is rotating about an axis through X, normal to the plane of the disc. Point P has linear
speed v and centripetal acceleration a. Which one of the following is correct for point Q?

Linear speed Centripetal acceleration

A. v a

B. v 2a

C. 2v 2a

D. 2v 4a
(1)

2. A particle P is moving in a circle with uniform speed. Which one of the following diagrams
correctly shows the direction of the acceleration a and velocity v of the particle at one instant of
time?

A. a B. a
v

P v P

C. D.

a P a P
v

(1)

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 Topic  6:  Circular  motion  and  gravitation  

3. The centripetal force that causes a car to go round a bend in the road is provided by

A. the force produced by the car engine acting on the wheels.

B. the friction between the tyres and the road.

C. the weight of the car.

D. the force exerted by the driver on the steering wheel.

(1)

4. The centripetal force F acting on a particle of mass m that is travelling with linear speed v along
the arc of a circle of radius r is given by

v2 mv 2
A. F= . B. F = mv2r. C. F = mr2v. D. F = .
mr r
(1)

5. A brick is placed on the surface of a flat horizontal disc as shown in the diagram below. The
disc is rotating at constant speed about a vertical axis through its centre. The brick does not
move relative to the disc.

Which of the diagrams below correctly represents the horizontal force or forces acting on the
brick?

(1)

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 Topic  6:  Circular  motion  and  gravitation  

6. This question is about circular motion.

A linear spring of negligible mass requires a force of 18.0 N to cause its length to increase by
1.0 cm.

A sphere of mass 75.0 g is attached to one end of the spring. The distance between the centre of
the sphere M and the other end P of the unstretched spring is 25.0 cm, as shown below.

P M

25.0 cm

The sphere is rotated at constant speed in a horizontal circle with centre P. The distance PM
increases to 26.5 cm.

(a) Explain why the spring increases in length when the sphere is moving in a circle.

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(2)

(b) Determine the speed of the sphere.

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(4)
(Total 6 marks)
7. This question is about the kinematics and dynamics of circular motion.

(a) A car goes round a curve in a road at constant speed. Explain why, although its speed is
constant, it is accelerating.

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(2)

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 Topic  6:  Circular  motion  and  gravitation  

In the diagram below, a marble (small glass sphere) rolls down a track, the bottom part of which
has been bent into a loop. The end A of the track, from which the marble is released, is at a
height of 0.80 m above the ground. Point B is the lowest point and point C the highest point of
the loop. The diameter of the loop is 0.35 m.
A

marble

0.80 m C

0.35 m

ground B

The mass of the marble is 0.050 kg. Friction forces and any gain in kinetic energy due to the
rotating of the marble can be ignored. The acceleration due to gravity, g = 10 ms–2.

Consider the marble when it is at point C.

(b) (i) On the diagram opposite, draw an arrow to show the direction of the resultant force
acting on the marble.
(1)

(ii) State the names of the two forces acting on the marble.

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(2)

(iii) Deduce that the speed of the marble is 3.0 ms–1.

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(3)

(iv) Determine the resultant force acting on the marble and hence determine the
reaction force of the track on the marble.

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(4)
(Total 12 marks)

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 Topic  6:  Circular  motion  and  gravitation  

8. A boy is running along a Circular track of 15 m diameter. If in 20 seconds he covers half the track,
then find his:

(a) Angular speed

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(2)

(b) Linear speed

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(2)
(Total 4 marks)

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 Topic  6:  Circular  motion  and  gravitation  

Topic 6.2: Newton’s law of gravitation

1. In Newton’s universal law of gravitation the masses are assumed to be

A. extended masses.

B. masses of planets.

C. point masses.

D. spherical masses.
(1)

2. Newton’s law of gravitation for the force F between two point objects of masses M and m,
separated by a distance d may be written as

Fd2 ∝ Mm.

The expression may also be used for the force of attraction between the Sun and the Earth,
although they are not point masses. This is because

A. the gravitational constant G is not involved in the expression.

B. the force between the Sun and the Earth is very large.

C. the separation of the Sun and the Earth is much greater than their radii.

D. the mass of the Earth is much less than the mass of the Sun.
(1)

3. Gravitational field strength at a point may be defined as

A. the force on a small mass placed at the point.

B. the force per unit mass on a small mass placed at the point.

C. the work done to move unit mass from infinity to the point.

D. the work done per unit mass to move a small mass from infinity to the point.
(1)

4. The acceleration of free fall of a small sphere of mass 5.0 × 10–3 kg when close to the surface of
Jupiter is 25 ms–2. The gravitational field strength at the surface of Jupiter is

A. 2.0 × 10–4 N kg–1.

B. 1.3 × 10–1 N kg–1.

C. 25 N kg–1.

D. 5.0 × 103 N kg–1.

(1)

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 Topic  6:  Circular  motion  and  gravitation  

5. The Earth is distance RM from the Moon and distance RS from the Sun. The ratio

gravitatio nal field strength at the Earth due to the Moon

gravitatio nal field strength at the Earth due to the Sun

is proportional to which of the following?

2 2
RM RM RS RS
A. 2
B. C. 2
D.
RS RS RM RM
(1)

6. Planet X has radius R and mass M. Planet Y has radius 2R and mass 8M.

Which one of the following is the correct value of the ratio

gravitational field strength at surface of planet X

?
gravitational field strength at surface of planet Y

1 1
A. 4 B. 2 C. D.
2 4
(1)

7. Two isolated spheres of masses M and m are held a distance d apart, as shown below.

M m
x

Mass M is greater than mass m.

The gravitational field strength g is measured on a line between the two masses. Which graph
best shows the variation with distance x from the larger sphere of the magnitude of the field
strength g? The Earth’s gravitational field is to be ignored.
A. B. g
g

0 0
0 d x 0 d x

C. g D. g

0 0
0 d x 0 d x
(1)

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 Topic  6:  Circular  motion  and  gravitation  

8. A satellite of mass m and speed v orbits the Earth at a distance r from the centre of the Earth.
The gravitational field strength due to the Earth at the satellite is equal to

v v2 mv mv 2
A. . B. . C. . D. .
r r r r
(1)

9. A satellite orbits the Earth at constant speed as shown below.

satellite

Earth

(a) Draw on the diagram

(i) an arrow labelled F to show the direction of the gravitational force of the Earth on
the satellite.

(ii) an arrow labelled V to show the direction of the velocity of the satellite.
(2)

(b) Although the speed of the satellite is constant, it is accelerating. Explain why it is
accelerating.

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(2)

(c) Discuss whether or not the gravitational force does work on the satellite.

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(3)
(Total 7 marks)

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 Topic  6:  Circular  motion  and  gravitation  

10. This question is about gravitational fields.

(a) Define gravitational field strength.

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(2)

(b) The gravitational field strength at the surface of Jupiter is 25 N kg–1 and the radius of
Jupiter is 7.1 × 107 m.

(i) Derive an expression for the gravitational field strength at the surface of a planet in
terms of its mass M, its radius R and the gravitational constant G.

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(2)

(ii) Use your expression in (b)(i) above to estimate the mass of Jupiter.

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(2)
(Total 6 marks)

11. This question is about a spacecraft.

A spacecraft above Earth’s atmosphere is moving away from the Earth. The diagram below
shows two positions of the spacecraft. Position A and position B are well above Earth’s
atmosphere.

Earth A B

At position A, the rocket engine is switched off and the spacecraft begins coasting freely. At
position A, the speed of the spacecraft is 5.37 × 103 m s–1 and at position B, 5.10 × 103 m s–1.
The time to travel from position A to position B is 6.00 × 102 s.

(a) (i) Explain why the speed is changing between positions A and B.

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(1)

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 Topic  6:  Circular  motion  and  gravitation  

(ii) Calculate the average acceleration of the spacecraft between positions A and B.

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(2)

(iii) Estimate the average gravitational field strength between positions A and B.
Explain your working.

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(3)
(Total 6 marks)
12. This question is about gravitation.

A binary star consists of two stars that each follow circular orbits about a fixed point P as shown
below.

star mass P star mass

M1 M2
R1 R2

The stars have the same orbital period T. Each star may be considered to act as a point mass
with its mass concentrated at its centre. The stars, of masses M1 and M2, orbit at distances R1
and R2 respectively from point P.

(a) State the name of the force that provides the centripetal force for the motion of the stars.

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(1)

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 Topic  6:  Circular  motion  and  gravitation  

(b) By considering the force acting on one of the stars, deduce that the orbital period T is
given by the expression

4π 2
R1 (R1 + R2 ) .
2
T = 2

GM 2

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(3)

(c) The star of mass M1 is closer to the point P than the star of mass M2. Using the answer in
(b), state and explain which star has the larger mass.

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(2)
(Total 6 marks)

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