lesson 17

Lesson #17
E.Q.:How does the study of circular motion reveal the fundamental principles of force and motion in everyday phenomena?

Open Ended

What do you think is circular motion about?

• There is always a force pulling the object toward the center.

• It might keep a constant SPEED, but its VELOCITY changes because its DIRECTION changes.

• Remember: velocity has direction and speed does not.

  
  

• In a satellite's case, the pull is gravity.

• Anytime you have a force pulling something toward the center, we call it centripetal force.

  
  

Formula for Circular Motion

• This formula is used for circular motion for engineers designing curves in roads, rocket scientists putting satellites into space, roller coaster designers, and much more!

  
  

A 100kg car is racing on a flat track at 22 m/s around a curve with a 56 meter radius. Find the car’s centripetal acceleration. Find the force that the car feels on it.

EXAMPLE 1.

Multiple Choice

Centripetal acceleration always points

• in the direction of the object's motion
• in the opposite direction of the object's motion
• towards the center of the circle
• towards the outside of the circle

Multiple Choice

moving or tending to move toward a center...

• centripetal force

• centrifugal force

• Tangent

• Curvature

Multiple Choice

A 450 kg car travelling at 20 m/s goes around a curve with a radius of 15 m. Determine the centripetal acceleration of the car?

• 600 m/s/s

• 26.7 m/s/s

• 1.3 m/s/s

• 0.67 m/s/s

Period of Revolution

Multiple Choice

The acceleration of an object in uniform circular motion is called center-seeking or ___________ acceleration.

• centrifugal

• centripetal

• circular

• orbital

Multiple Choice

True or False: F_net = ma_c is the equation for Newton's Second Law for circular motion

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Which of these is the equation for centripetal acceleration?

• F=ma

• F_c=ma

• 
  

  undefined 

• W = mg

Multiple Choice

True or False: Centrifugal force is not a real force. One only feels pushed going around a corner because one is accelerating relative to their surroundings.

• True

• False

play time!! Gravity and circular motion simulation

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