Uniform Circular Motion

Uniform Circular Motion

 Uniform Circular Motion

“What is uniform circular motion?”

 Uniform Circular Motion

● In uniform Circular motion

a body travels at a constant speed
on a circular path.
 Uniform Circular Motion

⮚ The speed is constant, ‘v’ Link

⮚ The velocity is not!

⮚ There is an acceleration
⮚ There is a net force
Uniform Circular Motion

T = Period (time per revolution)

f = frequency (revolutions per unit time)
v = speed
r = radius
 Uniform Circular Motion

To the center

To the center
Uniform Circular Motion
 Uniform Circular Motion

Constant Speed not Velocity:

The direction of v changes continually!

The velocity is always tangent to the path

 Uniform Circular Motion

There must be a force and therefore an acceleration:

Directed to the center
 Uniform Circular Motion

When the string is cut it flies off on a ______.

Tangent
Uniform Circular Motion

since

then
 Uniform Circular Motion

Mike flies his model plane, the radius of the orbit is 50 m

and the 2 kg plane is flying at 20 m/s.
1. What is the tension he feels in his hand?
2. What was the centripetal acceleration of the plane?
3. At the position shown draw in vectors showing the direction
of the force, acceleration, and velocity.
 Uniform Circular Motion

A 95-kg halfback makes a turn on the football field. The

halfback sweeps out a path which is a portion of a circle with
a radius of 12 m. The halfback makes a quarter of a turn
around the circle in 2 s. Determine the speed, acceleration
and net force acting upon the halfback.
Speed along the path
 Uniform Circular Motion

A 900-kg car moving at 10 m/s takes a turn around

a circle with a radius of 25.0 m. Determine the
acceleration and the net force acting upon the car.

1. a = (v2)/R
a = (10.0 m/s)2/(25.0 m)
a = (100 m2/s2)/(25.0 m)
a = 4 m/s2

2. F = ma = (900 kg) x (4 m/s2)

F = 3600 N
Uniform Circular Motion

STOP HERE
(12/8/15)
 Uniform Circular Motion

Not enough friction to turn the tape!

 Uniform Circular Motion

Jeff Gordon leads his race and must drive into a curve at top
speed to win it all. The radius of the curve is 1000 m and the
coefficient of static friction between his tires and the dry
pavement is 0.50.
a. Find the maximum speed he can have and still make the turn.
b. Which force “provides” the centripetal force?
Uniform Circular Motion
 Uniform Circular Motion

Centripetal Force depends on the mass:

Smaller mass → Smaller force
 Uniform Circular Motion

Centripetal Force depends on the velocity

Smaller velocity → Smaller force
 Uniform Circular Motion

Centripetal Force depends on the radius

Smaller radius → Larger force
Uniform Circular Motion

In this animation, the "sticky" or

adhesive forces from the tire tread
act as the centripetal force. It’s
large enough to keep the mud in a
circular path as the tire spins.

The tire is spinning faster here

which means a larger centripetal
force is needed to keep the mud in
the circular path. The adhesive
force is not large enough, it flies
off on a tangent and follows
Newton's first law!
 Uniform Circular Motion
Hell Hole
The rotor is an amusement park ride where people stand against
the inside of a cylinder. Once the cylinder is spinning fast
enough, the floor drops out. What force keeps the people from
falling out the bottom of the cylinder?

a. Centripetal force
b. Friction
← correct
c. Normal force
 Uniform Circular Motion

At amusement parks there is a popular ride where the floor of a

rotating cylinder room falls away, leaving the backs of the riders
“plastered” against the wall. Suppose the radius of the room is
3.3 m and the speed of the wall is 10m/s when the floor falls away.
1. How much centripetal force acts on a 55 kg rider?
2. What is the minimum coefficient of static friction that must exist between
the rider’s back and wall, if the rider is to remain in place when the wall
falls away?
 Uniform Circular Motion

Newton’s Second Law

Applied to Circular Motion

⮚ String provides the

tension (FC )
⮚ This force is directed
toward the center
 Uniform Circular Motion

Vertical Circle
 Uniform Circular Motion

Conical Pendulum
 Uniform Circular Motion

Conical Pendulum

No acceleration in the
vertical direction

The centripetal force is

provided by

A component of the tension provides

the centripetal Force
 Uniform Circular Motion

Ferris Wheel TOP

BOTTOM
 Uniform Circular Motion

Ferris Wheel

Find an expression for the maximum speed at which the ferris wheel can
rotate before turning its passengers into projectiles.

Making the passengers airborne is the same as saying FN = 0, therefore:

Note: It’s independent of the mass of the riders

 Uniform Circular Motion

⮚The normal forces between the roller coaster and

tracks
Uniform Circular Motion
 Uniform Circular Motion

Sign Convention:
⮚To the center is positive
⮚Away from the center is
negative
Uniform Circular Motion

ΣFc = w - n = mv2/r
mg - n = m v2 / r
n = mg - m v2 / r

Calculate the normal force in each

case if the mass of the kids plus car is
2,000 kg, v = 3 m/s, and r = 5 meters

ΣFc = n – mg = m v2 / r
n = mg + m v2 / r
 Uniform Circular Motion

Geosynchronous Satellites
● To serve as stationary relay station the
satellite must be placed at a certain height
above the earth surface

● they have an orbital

period equal to the
rotational period of
the earth, 24 hours.
 Uniform Circular Motion

Military

Communications
 Uniform Circular Motion

SUMMARY
Particle moving with uniform speed v in a circular path
with radius r has an acceleration aC :

- The acceleration points to

the center of the circle!
- Centripetal acceleration
 Uniform Circular Motion

• The velocity of the particle is always __________

• The centripetal acceleration is towards the __________
• The centripetal force acting on the particle is towards the ______
• Centripetal force causes a
change in the ______________
but no change in ___________

• The magnitude of the centripetal

acceleration is: a = _________
• Newton’s law: The force on the
particle is (centripetal force)
F = m·a = ______________
 Uniform Circular Motion

Motion in a circular path at constant speed

• Velocity is changing, thus there is an acceleration!!
• Acceleration is perpendicular to velocity
• Centripetal acceleration is towards the center of the circle
• Magnitude of acceleration is
•The change in velocity is director to the center
 Uniform Circular Motion

Horizontal Circle
Lauren rotates a stone, m = .50 kg that is attached to the end of
a 1.5 m cord above her head in a horizontal circle.
a. If the cord can hold 50 N of tension, at what maximum speed
will it rupture.
b. Which force “provides” the centripetal force?
 Uniform Circular Motion

A particle is moving in a circular path. If the force on the

particle would suddenly vanish (string cut) in which direction
would the ball fly off?
Uniform Circular Motion
Uniform Circular Motion
 Uniform Circular Motion

Banked Curve

FN FN cosθ

FN sinθ
W
a
Uniform Circular Motion
Uniform Circular Motion
Uniform Circular Motion
Uniform Circular Motion
Uniform Circular Motion

Le circular motion !
Uniform Circular Motion

The end !