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11.14 Radial and Transverse Components: Kinematics of Particles

This document discusses resolving velocity and acceleration into radial and transverse components when using polar coordinates to define an object's position. It defines the radial direction as increasing r while keeping θ constant, and the transverse direction as increasing θ while keeping r constant. Equations are provided for the radial and transverse components of velocity and acceleration in terms of r, θ, and their derivatives. The analysis is extended to cylindrical coordinates for motion in three dimensions.

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sumesh1980
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157 views2 pages

11.14 Radial and Transverse Components: Kinematics of Particles

This document discusses resolving velocity and acceleration into radial and transverse components when using polar coordinates to define an object's position. It defines the radial direction as increasing r while keeping θ constant, and the transverse direction as increasing θ while keeping r constant. Equations are provided for the radial and transverse components of velocity and acceleration in terms of r, θ, and their derivatives. The analysis is extended to cylindrical coordinates for motion in three dimensions.

Uploaded by

sumesh1980
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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668

Kinematics of Particles
11.14 RADIAL AND TRANSVERSE COMPONENTS
In certain problems of plane motion, the position of the particle P is
defined by its polar coordinates r and u (Fig. 11.25a). It is then con-
venient to resolve the velocity and acceleration of the particle into
components parallel and perpendicular, respectively, to the line OP.
These components are called radial and transverse components.
We attach at P two unit vectors, e
r
and e
u
(Fig. 11.25b). The
vector e
r
is directed along OP and the vector e
u
is obtained by rotat-
ing e
r
through 90 counterclockwise. The unit vector e
r
defines the
radial direction, i.e., the direction in which P would move if r were
increased and u were kept constant; the unit vector e
u
defines the
transverse direction, i.e., the direction in which P would move if u
were increased and r were kept constant. A derivation similar to the
one we used in Sec. 11.13 to determine the derivative of the unit
vector e
t
leads to the relations

de
r
du
5 e
u

de
u
du
5 2e
r

(11.41)
where 2e
r
denotes a unit vector of sense opposite to that of e
r

(Fig. 11.25c). Using the chain rule of differentiation, we express the
time derivatives of the unit vectors e
r
and e
u
as follows:
de
r
dt
5
de
r
du

du
dt
5 e
u

du
dt

de
u
dt
5
de
u
du

du
dt
5 2e
r
du
dt
or, using dots to indicate differentiation with respect to t,
e
r
5 u
.
e
u
e
u
5 2u
.
e
r
(11.42)
To obtain the velocity v of the particle P, we express the posi-
tion vector r of P as the product of the scalar r and the unit vector
e
r
and differentiate with respect to t:
v 5
d
dt
(re
r
) 5

re
r
1 re
r
or, recalling the first of the relations (11.42),
v 5

re
r
1 ru
.
e
u
(11.43)
P
P
O O
r


(a) (b) (c)
e
r
r = re
r
e

e
r
e

e'

e'
r
e

e
r

O'

Fig. 11.25
Photo 11.6 The footpads on an elliptical
trainer undergo curvilinear motion.
bee29400_ch11_600-689.indd Page 668 11/25/08 5:47:49 PM user-s173 /Volumes/204/MHDQ077/work%0/indd%0
669
Differentiating again with respect to t to obtain the acceleration,
we write
a 5
dv
dt
5
re
r
1

re

r
1

ru

e
u
1 ru

e
u
1 ru

u
or, substituting for e

r
and e

u
from (11.42) and factoring e
r
and e
u
,
a 5 (r

2 ru
.
2
)e
r
1 (ru

1 2r
.
u
.
)e
u
(11.44)
The scalar components of the velocity and the acceleration in the
radial and transverse directions are, therefore,
v
r
5

r v
u
5 ru

(11.45)
a
r
5

r 2 ru

2
a
u
5 ru

1 2

ru

(11.46)
It is important to note that a
r
is not equal to the time derivative of v
r

and that a
u
is not equal to the time derivative of v
u
.
In the case of a particle moving along a circle of center O, we
have r 5 constant and

r 5

r 5 0, and the formulas (11.43) and


(11.44) reduce, respectively, to
v 5 ru

e
u
a 5 2ru

2
e
r
1 ru

e
u
(11.47)
Extension to the Motion of a Particle in Space: Cylindrical
Coordinates. The position of a particle P in space is sometimes
defined by its cylindrical coordinates R, u, and z (Fig. 11.26a). It is
then convenient to use the unit vectors e
R
, e
u
, and k shown in Fig.
11.26b. Resolving the position vector r of the particle P into compo-
nents along the unit vectors, we write
r 5 Re
R
1 zk (11.48)
Observing that e
R
and e
u
define, respectively, the radial and trans-
verse directions in the horizontal xy plane, and that the vector k,
which defines the axial direction, is constant in direction as well as
in magnitude, we easily verify that

v 5
dr
dt
5 R
.
e
R
1 Ru
.
e
u
1 z
.
k

(11.49)

a 5
dv
dt
5 (R

2 Ru
.
2
)e
R
1 (Ru

1 2R
.
u
.
)e
u
1 z

k

(11.50)
11.14 Radial and Transverse Components
Fig. 11.26
O
y
x

(a)
(b)
e
R
e

z
z
R
P
O
y
x

z
P
zk
k
r
Re
R
bee29400_ch11_600-689.indd Page 669 11/25/08 5:47:59 PM user-s173 /Volumes/204/MHDQ077/work%0/indd%0

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