Centripetal acceleration

Front

What is centripetal acceleration?

Back

Centripetal acceleration is the acceleration experienced by an object moving in a circular path, directed towards the center of the circle.

Front

What is the formula for centripetal acceleration?

Back

The formula for centripetal acceleration (a_c) is a_c = v²/r, where v is the velocity and r is the radius of the circular path.

Front

What is the direction of centripetal acceleration?

Back

Centripetal acceleration is always directed towards the center of the circular path.

Front

What is the relationship between speed and centripetal acceleration?

Back

As the speed of an object increases, the centripetal acceleration increases, provided the radius remains constant.

Front

What happens to centripetal acceleration if the radius of the circular path increases?

Back

If the radius increases while speed remains constant, the centripetal acceleration decreases.

Front

What is centripetal force?

Back

Centripetal force is the net force that acts on an object moving in a circular path, directed towards the center of the circle.

Front

What are some examples of centripetal force?

Back

Examples include tension in a string (for a ball on a string), gravitational force (for planets orbiting the sun), and friction (for a car turning on a road).

Front

How does mass affect centripetal force?

Back

Centripetal force is directly proportional to the mass of the object; as mass increases, the required centripetal force also increases for the same acceleration.

Front

What is the unit of centripetal acceleration?

Back

The unit of centripetal acceleration is meters per second squared (m/s²).

Front

Calculate the centripetal acceleration of an object moving at 4 m/s in a circle with a radius of 2 m.

Back

Centripetal acceleration = v²/r = (4 m/s)² / (2 m) = 8 m/s².