ENGD1106D

Mechanical Principles-Dynamics
Week 7
Mass, gravity, weightlessness
Circular motion
Dr. Hassan Ali

Based on Materials of
Dr Meisam Abdi
School of Engineering and Sustainable Development
De Montfort University
Mass, gravity, weightlessness

2
 Newton’s law of universal gravitation

Isaac Newton's theory of universal gravitation states the following:

Every single point mass attracts every other point mass by a force heading along the line
combining the two. The force is proportional to the product of the two masses and
inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the point masses:
                 m1m 2
FG 2  F  m1g(r)
r
where:
F is the magnitude of the gravitational force between the two point masses
G  6.67 10-11 N  m 2 iskgthe
2 gravitational constant

m1 is the first point mass

m2 is the second point mass
r is the distance between the two point masses

3
 Mass and Weight
The most common definition of weight found in
introductory physics textbooks defines weight as
the force exerted on a body by gravity. This is
often expressed in the formula W = mg, where W
is the weight, m the mass of the object, and g
gravitational acceleration. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weight
The terms mass and weight are connected, but the above definition of
weight is not in general correct and often brings some level of confusion.
A body's mass is an amount of substance and a measure of its inertia: i.e., its
reluctance to deviate from uniform straight-line motion under the influence
of external forces. The mass of a body is an intrinsic property of that body,
and, therefore, does not change if the body is moved to a different place.
The weight is in fact what body “feels” and therefore can be connected with
normal reaction N:  
mg  N  0
4
 Mass and Weight (cont.)

Suppose that the downward acceleration of

the elevator matches the acceleration due to
gravity: i.e., a = -g. In this case, W = 0. In other
words, the block becomes weightless!

5
 Mass and Weight (cont.)
a

T - mg  ma
T  m(g  a)

Suppose that the downward acceleration of the suspended block

matches the acceleration due to gravity: i.e., a = -g. In this case, T = 0.
In other words, the block becomes weightless!

6
Centripetal/Centrifugal forces

A ball tethered to the rotational axis.

The centripetal force is exerted by
the tether on the ball to keep it rotating
around the specified path.
The centripetal force is what gives the
tether its tension.

7
 Weight on the Moon
Your weight on the Moon is 16.5% what you
would experience on Earth. In other words, if
you weighed 100 kg on Earth, you would weigh
a mere 16.5 kg on the Moon.
RM  0.27 RE
M M  0.012 M E
0.012
gM  2
g E  0.165 g E
0.27
Because your weight on the Moon is about
Astronaut Eugene Cernan from Apollo 17,
1/6th your weight on Earth, but your muscles
the last mission to the Moon (NASA) are still as strong, you could do some amazing
things. You would be able to jump 6 times
higher.
g Mars  0.38 g Earth ; g Jupiter  2.5 g Earth
9
Zero Gravity Flights

DMU ENGD1006 D Dynamics 10

 Zero Gravity Flights: the experience of weightlessness

http://www.incredible-adventures.com $3500

Up until recently, commercial zero-gravity flights have only

been offered in "big planes", like the Russian Space
Agency's IL-76 MDK or Zero G Corporation's Boeing 727.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEWy6jyBLfM

11
How do zero-gravity planes work? - YouTube
Circular motion

13
 Circular Motion
• When an object moves in a
circle at constant speed,
we describe it as
undergoing uniform
circular motion.
• Its speed is constant, but
its velocity is not because
velocity includes direction
and the object’s direction
is clearly changing.
 Circular Motion
• A changing velocity means
acceleration.
• The pull on the string is
always directed
perpendicular to the velocity.

• The pull accelerates the ball

into a circular path, even
though the ball does not
speed up or slow down.
• The pull changes only the
direction of the velocity, not
the magnitude.
 Centripetal Acceleration

• The acceleration arising from the change in direction of

the velocity vector is called the centripetal acceleration
and is determined mathematically by:

2
v
ac 
r
Centripetal Acceleration
 Centripetal Force
• Newton’s Second Law explains that an object
undergoing acceleration is experiencing a net
force. The net force on an object undergoing
uniform circular motion is called the centripetal
force Fc.
• The centripetal force necessary for an object of
mass m to travel with constant speed v in a circle
of radius r is given by:

m  r  
2 2
mv 2
Fc  but v  r   so Fc   m  r 
r r
 Motion On A Flat Curve
• On a flat, level curve, the
friction between the tires
and the road supplies the
centripetal force.
• If the tires are worn
smooth or the road is icy
or oily, this friction force
will not be available.
• The car will not be able to
move in a circle, it will
keep going in a straight
line and therefore go off
the road.
 Motion On A Flat Curve
• Accelerations:
– ay = 0 m/s2
v2
– ax = ac =
r

• Equation:
m Fvc 2= FF ;
 μmg
r
v2 V=
 μg
r
 Example 1

Dynamics of a simple pendulum with constraint

• The simple 2-kg pendulum is released from rest in the horizontal
position. As it reaches the bottom position, the cord wraps around
the smooth fixed pin at B and continues in the smaller arc in the
vertical plane.
• Calculate the magnitude of the force T supported by the pin at B
when the pendulum passes the position θ=30 deg.
 Example 2 (work at home)

• A skier, which mass equals to 70 kg, starts his descend downhill with zero initial
velocity. The snow is very dry so one can assume that there is no friction
between skies and snow. The hillside profile is shown in Figure 3. The downhill
deepening and rise have curvature with radiuses R2=12m and .R1=20m,
respectively. The start point has elevation h2=20m and h1=12m respectively
above the dip point and the hill point. Calculate the normal force of the skier
at the button of the valley and the top of the hill.
 Example 3 (work at home)

Find the maximum velocity that a car with mass 1600 kg can have when passing a
curvy road of radius 30m without slipping. Friction co-efficient of the road is 0.6.

23