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Uniform circular motion

Chapter 5
Circumference = 2*pi*Radius

The Direction of the Velocity Vector Acceleration

Direction of the Acceleration Vector Direction of the Acceleration Vector

• 1. The initial and final speed of a ball at two different points in time is • 1. The initial and final speed of a ball at two different points in time is
shown below. The direction of the ball is indicated by the arrow. For each shown below. The direction of the ball is indicated by the arrow. For each
case, indicate if there is an acceleration. Explain why or why not. Indicate case, indicate if there is an acceleration. Explain why or why not. Indicate
the direction of the acceleration. the direction of the acceleration.

• a. Acceleration: Yes or No? Explain. If there is an acceleration, then what • c. Acceleration: Yes or No? Explain. If there is an acceleration, then what
direction is it? direction is it?

• b. Acceleration: Yes or No? Explain. If there is an acceleration, then what • d. Acceleration: Yes or No? Explain. If there is an acceleration, then what
direction is it? direction is it?

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Direction of the Acceleration Vector The Centripetal Force Requirement

• 1. The initial and final speed of a ball at two different points in time is
shown below. The direction of the ball is indicated by the arrow. For each
case, indicate if there is an acceleration. Explain why or why not. Indicate
the direction of the acceleration.

• e. Acceleration: Yes or No? Explain. If there is an acceleration, then what

direction is it?

• 2. Explain the connection between your answers to the above questions

and the reasoning used to explain why an object moving in a circle at
constant speed can be said to experience an acceleration.

Centripetal force
• As a car makes a turn, the force of friction acting upon the turned
wheels of the car provides centripetal force required for circular
motion.

• As a bucket of water is tied to a string and spun in a circle, the

tension force acting upon the bucket provides the centripetal force
required for circular motion.

• As the moon orbits the Earth, the force of gravity acting upon the
moon provides the centripetal force required for circular motion.

Mathematics Mathematics

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• Sample Problem #1 • Sample Problem #2

• A 900-kg car moving at 10 m/s takes a turn around a circle with a radius of 25.0 m. Determine the • A 95-kg halfback makes a turn on the football field. The halfback sweeps out a path which is a portion of a circle
acceleration and the net force acting upon the car. with a radius of 12-meters. The halfback makes a quarter of a turn around the circle in 2.1 seconds. Determine the
speed, acceleration and net force acting upon the halfback.
• The solution of this problem begins with the identification of the known and requested • The solution of this problem begins with the identification of the known and requested information.
information. • Known Information:
• Known Information: • m = 95.0 kg R = 12.0 m
• m = 900 kg v = 10.0 m/s • Traveled 1/4-th of the circumference in 2.1 s
• R = 25.0 m • Requested Information:
• Requested Information: • v = ???? a = ????
• Fnet = ????
• a = ???? Fnet = ????
• To determine the speed of the halfback, use the equation v = d / t where the d is one-fourth of the circumference
• To determine the acceleration of the car, use the equation a = v2 / R. The solution is as follows: and the time is 2.1 s. The solution is as follows:
• a = v2 / R a = (10.0 m/s)2 / (25.0 m) • v = d / t v = (0.25 • 2 • pi • R) / t
• a = (100 m2/s2) / (25.0 m) • v = (0.25 • 2 • 3.14 • 12.0 m) / (2.1 s)
• a = 4 m/s2 • v = 8.97 m/s
• To determine the net force acting upon the car, use the equation Fnet = m•a. The solution is as • To determine the acceleration of the halfback, use the equation a = v2 / R. The solution is as follows:
follows. • a = v2 / R a = (8.97 m/s)2 / (12.0 m)
• a = (80.5 m2/s2) / (12.0 m)
• Fnet = m • a Fnet = (900 kg) • (4 m/s2)
• a = 6.71 m/s2
• Fnet = 3600 N • To determine the net force acting upon the halfback, use the equation Fnet = m•a. The solution is as follows.
• Fnet = m*a Fnet = (95.0 kg)*(6.71 m/s2)
• Fnet = 637 N

• Solution to Sample Problem #1

• Sample Problem #1
• A 945-kg car makes a 180-degree turn with a speed of 10.0 m/s. The
radius of the circle through which the car is turning is 25.0 m. Determine
the force of friction and the coefficient of friction acting upon the car.
• The known information and requested information in sample problem #1 is:
• Known Information:
• m = 945 kg v = 10.0 m/s
• R = 25.0 m
• Requested Information:
• Ffrict = ??? mu = ????
• ("mu" - coefficient of friction)
• The mass of the object can be used to determine the force of gravity acting in the downward
direction. Use the equation
• Fgrav = m * g
• where g is 9.8 m/s/s. Knowing that there is no vertical acceleration of the car, it can be concluded
that the vertical forces balance each other. Thus, Fgrav = Fnorm= 9261 N. This allows us to determine
two of the three forces identified in the free-body diagram. Only the friction force remains
unknown.
• Since the force of friction is the only horizontal force, it must be equal to the net force acting upon
the object. So if the net force can be determined, then the friction force is known. To determine the
net force, the mass and the kinematic information (speed and radius) must be substituted into the
following equation:
• Substituting the given values yields a net force of 3600 Newtons. Thus, the force of friction is 3600
N.
• Finally the coefficient of friction ("mu") can be determined using the equation which relates the
coefficient of friction to the force of friction and the normal force.
• Substituting 3600 N for Ffrict and 9261 N for Fnorm yields a coefficient of friction of 0.389.

• Solution to Sample Problem #2

• Sample problem #2
• The coefficient of friction acting upon a 945-kg car is 0.850. The car is
making a 180-degree turn around a curve with a radius of 35.0 m.
Determine the maximum speed with which the car can make the turn.
• Once again, the problem begins by identifying the known and requested information. The known
information and requested information in the sample problem #2 is:
• Known Information:
• m = 945 kg "mu" = 0.85 (coefficient of friction)
• R = 35.0 m
• Requested Information:
• v = ??? (the minimum speed would be the speed achieved with the given friction coefficient)
• The mass of the car can be used to determine the force of gravity acting in the downward direction. Use
the equation
• Fgrav = m * g
• where g is 9.8 m/s/s. Knowing that there is no vertical acceleration of the car, it can be concluded that the
vertical forces balance each other. Thus, Fgrav = Fnorm= 9261 N. Since the coefficient of friction ("mu") is
given, the force of friction can be determined using the following equation:
• This allows us to determine all three forces identified in the free-body diagram.
• The net force acting upon any object is the vector sum of all individual forces acting upon that object. So if
all individual force values are known (as is the case here), the net force can be calculated. The vertical
forces add to 0 N. Since the force of friction is the only horizontal force, it must be equal to the net force
acting upon the object. Thus, Fnet = 7872 N.
• Once the net force is determined, the acceleration can be quickly calculated using the following equation.
• Fnet = m*a
• Substituting the given values yields an acceleration of 8.33 m/s/s. Finally, the speed at which the car could
travel around the turn can be calculated using the equation for centripetal acceleration:
• Substituting the known values for a and R into this equation and solving algebraically yields a maximum
speed of 17.1 m/s.