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Rahul Pancholi Sir Unacademy Notes Target - NTSE

2. CIRCULAR MOTION

A. C IRC U LA R MOTIO N
(a) Definition :
The motion of a body moving around a fixed point in a circular path is known as circular motion.
Uniform Circular motion : If the body covers equal distances along the circumference of the circle in
equal intervals of time, the motion is said to be a uniform circular motion. A uniform circular motion is a
motion in which speed remains constant but direction of velocity changes.
Eg: Examples of uniform circular motion are:
(i) Motion of moon around the earth.
(ii) Motion of satellite around its planet.

(b) Circular motion is known as accelerated motion :

(i) Explanation : Consider a boy running along a regular hexagonal track (path) as shown in figure. As
the boy runs along the side of the hexagon at a uniform speed, he has to take a turn at each corner
changing direction but keeping the speed same. In one round he has to take six turns at regular intervals.
f the same boy runs along the side of a regular octagonal track with same uniform speed, he will have to
take eight turns in one round at regular intervals but the interval will become smaller.

Fig. 1
By increasing the number of sides of the regular polygon, we find that number of turns per round becomes
more and the interval between two turns become still shorter. A circle is a limiting case of a polygon with
an infinite number of sides. On the circular track, the turning becomes a continuous process without any
gap in between. The boy running along the sides of such a track will be performing a circular motion.
Hence, circular motion is the motion of a body along the sides of a polygon of infinite number of sides with
uniform speed, the direction changing continuously, it means the body moves with changing velocity in a
circular path thus the uniform circular motion is known as accelerated motion.

(ii) Diffrence between uniform linear and uniform circular motion

Uniform linear motion Uniform circular motion

1. The direction of 1. The direction of motion

motion does not changes continuously.
changes.
2. The motion is non 2. The motion is
accelerated. accelerated.

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(iii) Radian : It is the unit of plane angle.

(I) Definition : One radian is defined as the angle subtended at the centre of the circle by an arc equal
in length to its radius.
Eg. In figure , the arc AB of the circle has length  and subtends an angle  at the centre C.
If  ACB = radians.

Then,  = radians.
r
[For  = r,  = 1 radian]
Angle subtended by the circumference at the centre,
2 r
= = 2 radians {or 2c}
r
[c] is symbol for radian, just as (0) is symbol for degree. Fig. 2

(II) Relation between radian and degree :

For complete circle at centre 2c = 360º
360
or 1c = = 57.3º
2

(c) Variables of circular motion :

(i) Angular Position : To decide the angular position of a point in space we need to specify (i) origin
and (ii) reference line. The angle made by the position vector w.r.t. origin, with the reference line is
called angular position. Clearly angular position depends on the choice of the origin as well as the
reference line. Circular motion is a two dimensional motion or motion in a plane.
Y

P'
P

O r X

Fig. 3
Suppose a particle P is moving in a circle of radius r and centre O.
The angular position of the particle P at a given instant may be described by the angle  between OP and
OX. This angle  is called the angular position of the particle.
(ii) Angular Displacement () :
Definition : Angle through which the position vector of the moving particle rotates in a given time interval
is called its angular displacement. Angular displacement depends on origin, but it does not depends
on the reference line. As the particle moves on above circle its angular position  changes. Suppose the
point rotates through an angle  in time t, then  is angular displacement.

NOTE :
 Angular displacement is a dimensionless quantity. Its SI unit is radian, some other units are degree
and revolution
2 rad = 360° = 1 rev
 Infinitesimally small angular displacement is a vector quantity, but finite angular displacement is a
scalar, because while the addition of the Infinitesimally small angular displacements is commutative,
addition of finite angular displacement is not.
   
d1  d2  d2  d1 but 1  2  2  1

 Direction of small angular displacement is decided by right hand thumb rule. When the fingers are
directed along the motion of the point then thumb will represents the direction of angular displacement.

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(iii) Angular Velocity : The angular displacement per unit time is called the angular velocity. t is represented
by the symbol  (omega).

Angular displaceme nt   1 
av = av  2 
Total time taken t 2  t1 t
where 1 and 2 are angular position of the particle at time t1 and t2. Since angular displacement is a
scalar, average angular velocity is also a scalar.
NOTE :
 Its S.I. unit is rad/s.
 For a rigid body, as all points will rotate through same angle in same time, angular velocity is a
characteristic of the body as a whole, e.g., angular velocity of all points of earth about earth’s axis is (2/
24) rad/hr.
 If a body makes ‘N’ rotations in ‘t’ seconds then average angular velocity in radian per second will be
2N
av 
t
 If T is the period and ‘f’ is the frequency of uniform circular motion. then
2
av = = 2f
T
 Direction of angular velocity is along the axis of rotation and decided by right hand thumb rule.

(iv) Angular Acceleration  : The rate of the change of angular velocity is called angular acceleration. Let
1 and 2 be the instantaneous angular speeds at times t1 and t2 respectively, then the average angular
acceleration av is defined as
  
 2  1 
 av  
t 2  t1 t

NOTE :
 Both average and instantaneous angular acceleration are axial vectors with dimension [T-2] and unit rad/
s2 .
 Direction of angular acceleration is along the axis of rotation and decided by right hand thumb rule.
If  = 0, circular motion is said to be uniform.

(d) Relation between linear and angular quantities :

(i) Relation between angular displacement and linear displacement :

Q
arc
 angle = x
radius
C r P
x
=  x = r..... (i)
r
(ii) Relation between angular velocity and linear velocity : Fig. 4
From (i) x = r

x 
 r   v = r..... (ii)
t t
(iii) Relation between angular velocity and linear velocity :
From (ii) v = r

v 
 r  a = r ..... (iii)
t t

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Illustration 1. A fly wheel making 120 revolutions/minute. Find the angular speed of the wheel :
Sol.  120 revolution/ minute = 2 rev/s
Angular speed = angle in one revolution × number of revolution/s
= 2× 2= 4rad/s

Illustration 2. A stone tied to the end of a string 80 cm is whirled in a horizontal circle with a constant speed.
 22 
If the stone makes 14 revolutions in 25 sec., what is the magnitude of the angular speed.  use   
 7 
Sol. angular speed = angle × number of rev./s

14
 = 2  = 3.52 rad/s
25

Illustration 3. Earth revolves around the Sun in 365 days. Calculate its angular speed.
Sol. T = 365 days = 365 × 24 × 60 × 60 s

2 2
So,  =  = 1.99 × 10–7rad/s
T 365  24  60  60

Illustration 4. Is the angular velocity of rotation of hour hand of a watch greater or smaller than the angular
velocity of Earth’s rotation about its own axis ?

Sol. Hour hand completes one rotation in 12 hours while Earth completes one rotation in 24 hours. So, angular
2 
velocity of hour hand is double the angular velocity of Earth.    .
 T 

Illustration 5. A particle is moving with constant speed in a circular path. Find the ratio of average velocity to its

instantaneous velocity when the particle describes an angle  =
2
 R R
Sol. Time taken to describe angle , t = = =
 v 2v
Total displacement
Average velocity =
Total time
2R 2 2
= = v
R / 2v 
Instantaneous velocity = v
2 2
The ratio of average velocity to its instantaneous velocity = Ans.


Illustration 6. Find the time period of meeting of minute hand and second hand of a clock.
Sol.
Ref. line
2 2
min = rad/min. , sec = rad/min
60 1
sec min = 2 (for second and minute hand to meet again)
(sec – min) t = 2
2(1 – 1/60) t = 2

60
 t = min.
59

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Rahul Pancholi Sir Unacademy Notes Target - NTSE

Q.1_ What is the direction of the linear velocity of a particle in uniform circular motion?

Q.2_ What is the direction of the centripetal force?

Q.3_ What is the angular velocity of the hour needle in a clock?
Q.4_ Find the relation between angular velocity and linear velocity.
Q.5_ Give an example of a body moving with a uniform speed having acceleration.
Q.6_ Two particles of equal mass are revolving in circular orbits of radii r1 and r2 with the same period. Show
that v1 : v 2  r1 : r2 .
Q.7_ Two bodies in circular paths of radii 1 : 3 take same time to complete their circles.Find the ratio of their
linear speeds (Ans. 1 : 3)

Q.8_ In a circular path of radius 3m, a mass of 8kg moves with a constant speed of 20 ms–1. Find the angular
speed in radian/sec. (Ans 20/3 rad/sec)

Q.9_ The wheel of a cycle of radius 25cm is moving with a speed 20ms–1. Calculate the angular velocity of the
wheel (Ans 28 rad / s)

Q.10_ An air craft completes a horizontal loop of radius 2 km with a uniform speed of 600 kmh–1. Find the angular
velocity of the air craft.. (Ans 1/12 rad / s)

TYPE (I) : VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS : [01 MARK EACH]

1. Give relation between linear and angular acceleration.

2. Why circular motion is accelerated motion ?

TYPE (II) : SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS : [02 MARKS EACH]

3. Two bodies in circular paths of radii 1 : 2 take same time to complete their circles. Find the The ratio of
their linear speeds is :

4. Write down the units of angular displacement, angular velocity and angular acceleration.

TYPE (III) : LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS: [03 MARK EACH]

5. Derive the relation between

(a) linear displacement and angular displacement
(b) linear velocity and angular velocity

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 Marked Questions can be used as Revision Questions.

SUBJECTIVE QUESTIONS
SUBJECTIVE EASY, ONLY LEARNING VALUE PROBLEMS

SECTION (A) : CIRCULAR MOTION

A-1 Define Circular motion

A-2 State the meaning of uniform ciruclar motion

A-3 The wheel of a cycle of radius 50 cm is moving with a speed 14 ms–1. Calculate the angular velocity of
the wheel.

A-4 Define angular speed write its S.I. unit.

A-5 An air craft completes a horizontal loop of radius 1 km with a uniform speed of 900 kmh–1. Find the angular
velocity of the air craft.

A-6 An artificial satellite takes 90 minutes to complete its revolution around the earth. Calculate the angular
velocity of the satellite.

A-7 Name a physical quantity that (i) varies (ii) remains same in a circular motion.

A-8 Define the time period and find the relation between v and .

OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS

SINGLE CHOICE OBJECTIVE, STRAIGHT CONCEPT/FORMULA ORIENTED

SECTION (A) : CIRCULAR MOTION

A-1. 1C is equal to :
(A) 57.3º (B) 573º (C) 180º (D) 360º

A-2. The angular velocity in (rad/hr) of the earth’s rotation about its axis will be
(A) 12/  (B) /12 (C) 48 / (D) / 24

A-3. Angular velocity of minute hand of a watch is

(A) /3600 rad/s (B) /1800 rad/s (C) / 7200 rad/s (D) / 900 rad/s

A-4. Suppose a boy is enjoying a ride on a merry-go round which is moving with a constant speed of 10 ms– 1 .
It implies that the boy is
(A) at rest (B) moving with no acceleration
(C) in accelerated motion (D) moving with uniform velocity

A-5. A wheel is of diameter 1m. If it makes 30 revolutions/sec., then the linear speed (in m/s) of a point on its
circumference is
(A) 30  (B)  (C) 60  (D) / 2
A-6. Uniform circular motion is an example of :
(A) Constant acceleration (B) Variable acceleration
(C) A and B both (D) None of these

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A-7. Rate of change of angular velocity refer to :

(A) angular speed (B) angular displacement
(C) angular acceleration (D) None of these
A-8. The ratio of angular speed of hour’s hand and second’s hand of a clock is
(A) 1 : 1 (B) 1 : 60 (C) 1 : 720 (D) 1 : 3600

A-9. The angular velocity (in rad/s) of a fly wheel making 120 revolutions/minute is
(A) 2 (B) 8  (C)  (D) 4

A-10. Unit of angular velocity is :

(A) rad (B) m/s (C) rad/s2 (D) rad/s

A-11. Two bodies in circular paths of radii 1 : 2 take same time to complete their circles. The ratio of their linear
speeds is :
(A) 1 : 2 (B) 2 : 1 (C) 1 : 3 (D) 3 : 1

A-12. In a circular path of radius 1m, a mass of 2kg moves with a constant speed of 10 ms–1. The angular speed
in radian/sec. is :
(A) 5 (B) 10 (C) 15 (D) 20

A-13. The relation among v,  and r is :

v  r
(A)  = (B) v = (C)  = (D) None of these
r r v
A-14. A body moving along circular path may have :
(A) a constant speed (B) a constant velocity
(C) no tangential velocity (D) no radial acceleration

A-15. A particle revolves in a circular path. The acceleration of the particle is :

(A) along the tangent (B) zero
(C) along the radius (D) None of these

A-16. The earth’s radius is 6400 km. It makes one rotation about its own axis in 24 hrs. The centripetal
acceleration of a point on its equator is nearly.
(A) 340 cm/s2 (B) 34 cm/s2 (C) 3.4 cm/s2 (D) 0.34 cm/s2

A-17. The motion of a point on the rim of a wheel rotating about an axis fixed in a wall is :
(A) Circular (B) Linear
(C) Linear and circular (D) Vibratory

A-18. Examples of uniform circular motion are :

(A) motion of moon around the earth
(B) motion of satellite around a planet
(C) a runner running on a circular track with constant speed
(D) all of them

A-19. When a body moves along a semicircle, total angle subtended by it at centre of circle is :


(A) (B) 2  (C)  (D) none of these
2

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 Marked Questions can be used as Revision Questions.

OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS

1. A motor car is travelling at 20 m/s on a circular road of radius 100m. It is increasing its speed at the rate
of 3 m/s2. Acceleration of motor car is :
(A) 3 m/sec2 (B) 5 m/sec2 (C) 8 m/sec2 (D) None of these

2. Two particles of equal masses are revolving in circular paths of radii r1 and r2 respectively with the same
speed. The ratio of their centripetal forces is
2 2
r2 r2  r1   r2 
(A) (B) (C)   (D)  
r1 r1 r 2 r 1

3. Two bodies of mass 10 kg and 5 kg moving in concentric orbits of radii R and r such that their periods
are the same. Then the ratio between their centripetal acceleration is
(A) R/r (B) r/R (C) R 2 / r 2 (D) r 2 / R 2

4. The ratio of angular speeds of minute hand and hour hand of a watch is
(A) 1 : 12 (B) 6 : 1 (C) 12 : 1 (D) 1 : 6

5. A 500 kg car takes a round turn of radius 50 m with a velocity of 36 km/hr. The centripetal force is
(A) 250 N (B) 750 N (C) 1000 N (D) 1200 N

6. The direction of centripetal acceleration of an object moving in a circular path is

(A) directed away from the centre of the circle
(B) directed towards the centre of the circle
(C) directed upward in the plane of the circle
(D) none of the these.

7. The acceleration of an object moving with speed u in a circle of radius r is

(A) 2r (B) r/2 (C) 2/r (D) 2/r2

 Marked Questions can be used as Revision Questions.

NTSE PROBLEMS (PREVIOUS YEARS)

1. A person takes time t to go once around a circular path of diameter 2R. The speed () of this person would
be: (Raj./ NTSE Stage-I/2015)

t 2R R 2
(A) (B) (C) (D) 2R.t
2R t t

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BOARD LEVEL EXERCISE

TYPE (II) : SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS :

3. 1:2

EXERCISE - 1
SUBJECTIVE QUESTIONS
SUBJCTIVE EASY, ONLY LEARNING VALUE PROBLEMS

SECTION (A) : CIRCULAR MOTION


A-3 28 rad/s A-5 0.25 rad/s A-6 rad/s
2700

OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS
SINGLE CHOICE OBJECTIVE, STRAIGHT CONCEPT/FORMULA ORIENTED

SECTION (A) : CIRCULAR MOTION

A-1 (A) A-2 (B) A-3 (B) A-4 (C) A-5 (A) A-6 (B)

A-7 (C) A-8 (C) A-9 (D) A-10 (D) A-11 (A) A-12 (B)

A-13 (A) A-14 (A) A-15 (C) A-16 (C) A-17 (A) A-18 (D)

A-19 (C)

EXERCISE - 2
OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS
SINGLE CHOICE OBJECTIVE, STRAIGHT CONCEPT/FORMULA ORIENTED

Ques. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Ans. B A A C C B C

EXERCISE - 3
NTSE PROBLEMS (PREVIOUS YEARS)

Ques. 1
Ans. B

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