CIRCULAR MOTION PRACTICE

PROBLEMS
 1.
1. In aviation, a "standard turn" for a level flight of a propeller-type plane is one in which the plane
makes a complete circular turn in 2.00 minutes. If the speed of the plane is 170 m/s,
a. What is the radius of the circle?
2R 2R
v= 170 = R = 3247m
T 120

b. What is the centripetal acceleration of the plane?

v2 (170) 2
ac = ac = ac = 8.9ms − 2
R 3247
 2.
A fly of mass 2.00 g is sunning itself on a phonograph turntable at a location that is 4.00 cm from
the center. When the turntable is turned on and rotates at 45.0 rev/min, calculate the centripetal
force needed to keep the fly from slipping?

mv 2 R 4m 2 R 60 sec
F = mac = = T= = 1.33
T 45rev
4(0.002kg ) 2 (0.04m)
F= = 0.002 N
1.33s
 3.
A 35.0 kg boy is swinging on a rope 7.00 m long. He passes through the lowest position with a speed
of 3.00 m/s. What is the tension on the rope at that moment?

mv 2
T= + mg
R
(35kg )(3m / s ) 2
T= + (35)(9.8)
7m
T = 388 N
 4.
4. The earth orbits the sun in 365 days. What is the tangential speed, in m/s, of the earth in orbit?
The average sun-earth distance is 1.50 × 1011 m.

2R
v=
T
2 (1.5 1011 m)
v= = 29886m / s
(365d )(24hr )(3600s )
 5.
5. A plane comes out of a power dive, turning upward in a curve whose center of curvature is 1300
m above the plane. The plane's speed is 260 m/s.

a. Calculate the upward force of the seat cushion on the 100 kg pilot of the plane.
mv 2 (100kg )(260m / s ) 2
F= + mg = + (100kg )(9.8ms − 2 ) = 6180 N
R 1300m

b. Calculate the upward force on a 90.0 g sample of blood in the pilot's head.
mv 2 (0.09kg )(260m / s ) 2
F= + mg = + (0.09kg )(9.8ms − 2 ) = 5.56 N
R 1300m
 6.
The moon's mass is 7.35 × 1022 kg, and it moves around the earth approximately in a circle or radius
3.82 × 105 km. The time required for one revolution is 27.3 days. Calculate the centripetal force that
must act on the moon. How does this compare to the gravitational force that the earth exerts on the
moon at that same distance?

m4 2 r (7.35 10 22 kg )(4 2 )(3.82 108 m)

F= = = 1.99  10 20
N
T 2
((27.3d )(24hrs)(3600s) ) 2

mM (6.67 10 −11 m 3 kg −1s −2 )(5.98 10 24 kg )(7.36 10 22 kg )

F =G 2 = = 2.01  10 20
N
R (
3.82 10 m 8 2
)
 7.
The radius of the earth is 6.37 × 106 m.
a. How fast, in m/s, is a tree at the equator moving because of the earth's rotation?
b. How fast is a polar bear moving at the north pole?
𝑐𝑖𝑟𝑐𝑢𝑚𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 2𝜋𝑟 2𝜋(6.37×106 ) 𝑚
𝑎. 𝑣 = = = = 463
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑇 24ℎ×60𝑚×60𝑠 𝑠
𝑚
𝑏. 0 , 𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛.
𝑠
 8.
A car of mass 1200 kg drives around a curve with a radius of 25.0 m. If the driver maintains a
speed of 20.0 km/hr, what is the force of friction between the tires and the road? What is the
minimum coefficient of static friction required to keep the car in this turn?
𝑘𝑚 1000𝑚 1ℎ𝑟 2
𝑣2 20 ℎ𝑟 × 1𝑘𝑚 ×3600𝑠
𝑓𝑠 = 𝐹𝑐 = 𝑚𝑎𝑐 = 𝑚 = 1200 = 1481 𝑁
𝑅 25𝑚

𝑓𝑠 1481
𝑓𝑠 = 𝜇𝑠 𝑚𝑔 → 𝜇𝑠 = = = 0.126 = 0.13
𝑚𝑔 (1200)(9.8)
 9.
An automobile corner curve of radius R at a speed v. In terms of R and v and any other required
physical constants, what is the minimum coefficient of friction required for the turn?
𝑣2
𝑣= 𝜇𝑠 𝑔𝑅 → 𝜇𝑠 =
𝑔𝑅
 10.
A 10.0 kg block rests on a frictionless surface and is attached to a vertical peg by a rope. What is
the tension in the rope if the block is whirling in a horizontal circle of radius 2.00 m with a linear
speed of 20 m/s? What would be the tension in the rope at the top and the bottom of the swing if it
were whirled in a vertical circle?
𝑚 2
𝑣2 20 𝑠
𝐹𝑐 = 𝑚𝑎𝑐 = 𝑚 = 10 𝑘𝑔 = 2000𝑁
𝑅 2𝑚
𝑚𝑣 2
𝑡𝑜𝑝: 𝑇 = − 𝑚𝑔 = 2000 𝑁 − 10 9.8 = 1902 = 1900 𝑁
𝑅
𝑚𝑣 2
𝑏𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑚: 𝑇 = + 𝑚𝑔 = 2000 𝑁 + 10 9.8 = 2098 = 2100 𝑁
𝑅
 11.
A child twirls his yo-yo about his head rather than using it properly. The yo-yo has a mass of 0.200
kg and is attached to a string 0.800 m long.
a. If the “yo yo” makes a complete revolution each second, what tension must exist in the string?
4𝜋2 𝑅 4𝜋2 (0.8𝑚)
𝑇 = 𝐹𝑐 = 𝑚𝑎𝑐 = 𝑚 2 = 0.2 𝑘𝑔 = 6.32 𝑁
𝑇 (1𝑠)2

b. If the child increases the speed of the top so that it makes 2 complete revolutions per second, what
tension must be in the string?
𝐷𝑜𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑢𝑙𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑑𝑟𝑢𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛.
4𝜋2 𝑅 4𝜋2 (0.8𝑚)
𝑇 = 𝐹𝑐 = 𝑚𝑎𝑐 = 𝑚 2 = 0.2 𝑘𝑔 = 25.3 𝑁
𝑇 (0.5𝑠)2

c. What is the ratio of the solutions to parts a and b?

𝐷𝑜𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑢𝑙𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑑𝑟𝑢𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛.
 12.
An athlete twirls a 8.0 kg hammer around his head at a rate of 2.00 rev/s. If his arms are 1.00 m
long, compute the tension in them.

4𝜋2 𝑅 4𝜋2 (1𝑚)

𝑇 = 𝐹𝑐 = 𝑚𝑎𝑐 = 𝑚 2 = 8 𝑘𝑔 = 1263 𝑁
𝑇 (0.5𝑠)2
 13.
Two lead spheres each have a mass of 5.00 × 105 kg. The spheres are located next to one another
with their centers 5.00 m apart. What gravitational force do they exert on each other?
2
𝑚 𝑚 5.00 × 105
𝐹= 𝐺 12 2 = 6.67408 × 10−11 = 0.667 N
𝑑 52
 14.
An old trick is to swing a pail full of water in a vertical circle. If the "swinger" is not to get wet and
the radius of the circle in which she swings the pail is 0.800 m, what is the minimum tangential speed
with which she can swing the pail at the top of the swing? Explain why, if she reaches this minimum
speed, she not get wet?
𝑣𝑐 = 𝑔𝑅 = (9.8)(0.8) = 2.8 𝑚/𝑠
The force between gravity and centripetal force balance.
 15.
What is the percentage difference in a person's apparent weight at the equator and the north pole.
Assume, for the purposes of this problem, that the earth is perfectly spherical.
Radius of the Earth = 6.371 x 106 m
Fnormal = Fweight – Fc
𝑚𝑣 2
𝑛1 = 𝑚𝑔 − 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟
𝑅
𝑛2 = 𝑚𝑔 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑁𝑜𝑟𝑡ℎ 𝑃𝑜𝑙𝑒
4𝜋2 𝑟
𝑛2 − 𝑛1 𝑚𝑔 − 𝑚𝑔+𝑚𝑣 2 𝑣2 𝑣2 𝑇2 4𝜋2 𝑟 4𝜋2 6.371×106
= =1 − 1 − = = = = = 0.0034 = 0.34%
𝑛2 𝑚𝑔 𝑔 𝑔 𝑔 𝑇2𝑔 24𝑥3600 2 9.8
 16.
With what speed would a baseball player have to hit a baseball in order to put a 0.300 kg
baseball into orbit around the earth at an altitude of 1.00 m? How fast would you have to get an
elephant of mass 500 kg moving to make it orbit the earth at the same height? Explain any
difference, or lack thereof, in your answers! Why would it be practically impossible to actually put
either one into orbit at this height?

𝑚 𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑠
𝑣𝑐 = 𝑔𝑅 = (9.8)(6.371 × 106 + 1) = 7902 (17384 )
𝑠 ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟
Same for the elephant, the critical speed equation is independent of the mass.
Air resistance would slow them down drastically
 17.
Communications satellites are placed in what are called "geosynchronous" orbits around the earth.
This means that the satellite will have an orbital period which matches the period for one earth
revolution (one day). At what height above the surface of the earth must one place such a satellite in
order to achieve a geosynchronous orbit? How fast will the satellite be moving? Why is it desirable
for communications satellites to be placed in such orbits?
To geosynchronous, Fc = FG
𝑚1 𝑣 2 𝑚1 𝑚2
=𝐺 m1 cancels and r cancels with r2
𝑟 𝑟2
𝑚 2𝜋𝑟 2 𝑚 𝐺𝑚2 𝑇 2
𝑣2 = 𝐺 2 → = 𝐺 2 → 𝑟3 = →
𝑟 𝑇 𝑟 4𝜋2
3 𝐺𝑚2 𝑇 2 3 (6.67×10−11 )(5.98×1024 ) 24×3600 2
𝑟= = = 42250474.31 m = 4.23 x 107m
4𝜋2 4𝜋2
Subtract Earth’s radius to get height.
4.23 x 107m – 6.371 x 106 = 3.58 x 107 m
 17.
How fast will the satellite be moving?
2𝜋𝑟 2𝜋(4.23×107 ) 𝑚
𝑣= = = 3076
𝑇 (24×3600) 𝑠

As it is at greater height, it covers larger geographical area. Hence only 3 satellites are required to
cover the entire Earth.
➨Satellites are visible for 24 hours continuously from single fixed location on the Earth.
➨It is ideal for broadcasting and multi-point distribution applications.
➨Ground station tracking is not required as it is continuously visible from earth all the time from
fixed location.
➨Inter-satellite handoff is not needed.
➨Less number of satellites are needed to cover the entire earth. Total three satellites are sufficient
for the job.
➨Almost there is no doppler shift and hence less complex receivers can be used for the satellite
communication.
 18.
If a roller coaster is to successfully execute a 20.0 m radius vertical loop, what speed must each car
on a roller coaster be traveling at the top of the loop. Does the speed required depend on the mass
of the roller coaster or that of the occupants? Most rides have a minimum height requirement. Why
are there no minimum or maximum weight restrictions?
𝑚
𝑣𝑐 = 𝑔𝑅 = (9.8)(20) = 14
𝑠
NOPE, no need to consider mass because the critical velocity is independent of mass.
 19.
Refer to the diagram of a vertical loop roller coaster shown to the right. What is the minimum height
h that a roller coaster of mass m must begin if it is to successfully maneuver a loop of radius r?
1
𝑚𝑔ℎ = 𝑚𝑔2𝑟 + 𝑚𝑣 2
2
1
𝑚𝑔ℎ = 𝑚𝑔2𝑟 + 𝑚( 𝑔𝑟)2
2
1
𝑚𝑔ℎ = 𝑚𝑔2𝑟 + 𝑚𝑔𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑔′𝑠
2
1
ℎ = 2𝑟 + 𝑟 = 2.5 𝑟
2
 20.
Banked curves are often used on racetracks to enable cars to safely execute turns at high speeds.
Assuming no friction to help the car stay in a circular curve, what is the maximum speed that a 2000
kg car can travel around a curve of radius 50.0 m if the angle at which the curve is banked is 25°
above the horizontal? With no friction, what will happen to a car if it goes slower than this speed?
What if it goes faster? Explain!
𝑣2 𝑚
𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃 = 𝑣= 𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃𝑔𝑅 = 𝑡𝑎𝑛25𝑜 (9.8)(50) = 15.1
𝑔𝑅 𝑠

It would slide down the bank of the curve.

Slide up the curve.
 21.
21. What is the minimum banking angle required for an automobile to make a turn of radius R at a
speed v if there is no friction between the roadway and the tires. Express your answer in terms of R
and v and any other required physical constants, What will happen if the car goes slower than this
speed? What if it goes faster?
𝑣2
𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃 =
𝑔𝑅
𝑣2
𝜃= 𝑡𝑎𝑛−1
𝑔𝑅

Slower = car sliding down the bank because of the decrease in the force.
Faster = car sliding up the back because it is requiring a larger radius for that speed.
 22.
22. An object of mass m is moving at a speed vo when it is at the bottom of a vertical circle as
shown in the diagram to the right. When the object reaches point P, it “falls” out of the
circle. If the speed of the block at the bottom of the circle is described by the equation
9
𝑣𝑜 = 𝑔𝐿, what is the angle 𝜃, at which the object quits moving in the circle?
2