Phy Sem 1 CHP 1
Phy Sem 1 CHP 1
Phy Sem 1 CHP 1
Remarks
Curriculum Specification
Before After Revision
6.1 Uniform Circular Motion
a) Describe uniform circular motion. (C1, C2)
b) Convert units between degrees, radian, and revolution or
rotation. (C3, C4)
6.2 Centripetal Force
a) Define centripetal acceleration. (C1, C2)
b) Solve problems related to centripetal force for uniform
circular motion cases: horizontal circular motion, vertical
circular motion and conical pendulum. (C3, C4)
CHAPTER 6 CIRCULAR MOTION 2
prepared by Yew Sze Ling@Fiona, KML
Direction of v1 ≠ Direction of v2
Magnitude of v1 = Magnitude of v2
Circular motion is often described in terms of the frequency f, the number of revolutions per
second (rps).
The period T of an object revolving in a circle is the time required for one complete revolution.
Period and frequency are related by:
1
T
f
There is a relationship between period and speed, since speed v is the distance travelled (here,
the circumference of the circle = 2πr) divided by the time T:
2r
v
T
Unit: rad
CHAPTER 6 CIRCULAR MOTION 3
prepared by Yew Sze Ling@Fiona, KML
Unit
1 revolution (rev) = 1 rotation = 1 complete cycle = 2π rad = 360°
Time taken to complete 1 revolution is called period, T.
1 revolution 2
1 revolution per second (rps) = 2 rad s -1
1 second 1s
1 revolution 2
1 revolution per minute (rpm) = 0.1 rad s -1
60 second 60 s
CHAPTER 6 CIRCULAR MOTION 4
prepared by Yew Sze Ling@Fiona, KML
Centripetal acceleration
If the centripetal force suddenly stops to act on a body in the circular motion, the body flies off
in a straight line with the constant tangential (linear) speed.
Centripetal force is just the name we give to the net force acting on the object in a direction
towards the centre of the circle.
Centripetal force is NOT the new force acting on the object, therefore DO NOT draw the
centripetal force in the free body diagram.
At the top
At the bottm
THINK
How to determine the minimum speed needed to keep the ball swinging in the vertical circle?
At the top
At the top
THINK
Which position would give smaller reading on the weighing scale?
How to determine the maximum speed at which the Ferris wheel can be rotated before the
object/human flew off the Ferris wheel?
CHAPTER 6 CIRCULAR MOTION 7
prepared by Yew Sze Ling@Fiona, KML
Conical Pendulum
x – component y – component
along the y – component because
circular motion only occurred along the
x – component.
REMEMBER
sin
tan
cos
Try it yourself!
x – component y – component
CHAPTER 6 CIRCULAR MOTION 8
prepared by Yew Sze Ling@Fiona, KML
Exercise
Uniform Circular Motion
1. An object undergoes circular motion with uniform angular speed 300 rpm. Determine
a) the period, T
b) the frequency, f
2. Determine the angular velocity of the hour–hand and minute-hand of a clock.
3. A particle moving in a circle takes 0.25 s to complete one revolution. How many complete
revolutions per minute (rpm) does the particle perform?
4. The wheel of a car has a radius of r = 0.29 m and is being rotated at 830 revolutions per
minute (rpm) on a tire-balancing machine. Determine the tangential velocity at which the
outer edge of the wheel is moving.
5. Two wheels of a machine are connected by a transmission
belt. The radius of the first wheel r1 = 0.60 m, the radius of the
second wheel r2 = 0.13 m. The frequency of the bigger wheel
equals 4.5 Hz. What is the frequency of the smaller wheel?
Centripetal Force
1. A car travels at a constant speed around a circular track whose radius is 2.6 km. The car goes
once around the track in 360 s. What is the magnitude of the centripetal acceleration of the
car?
2. A child sitting 1.20 m from the centre of a merry-go-round moves with a speed of 1.10 m s-1.
Calculate
a) the centripetal acceleration of the child
b) the net horizontal force exerted on the child (mchild = 22.5 kg)
3. A 0.55 kg ball, attached to the end of a horizontal cord, is revolved in a circle of radius
1.3 m on a frictionless horizontal surface. If the cord will break when the tension in it
exceeds 75 N, what is the maximum speed the ball can have?
4. A coin placed 30.0 cm from the center of a rotating, horizontal turntable slips when its speed
is 50.0 cm s-1. What is the coefficient of static friction between coin and turntable?
5. A bucket of mass 2.00 kg is whirled in a vertical circle of radius 1.20 m. At the lowest point
of its motion the tension in the rope supporting the bucket is 25.0 N.
a) Find the speed of the bucket.
b) How fast must the bucket move at the top of the circle so that the rope does not go
slack?
6. Suppose a 1800 kg car passes over a hump in a roadway that follows the arc of a circle of
radius 20.4 m as shown in Figure.
a) If the car travels at 30 km h-1, what force does the road exert on the car as the car passes
the highest point of the hump?
b) What is the maximum speed the car can have without losing contact with the road as it
passes this highest point?
CHAPTER 6 CIRCULAR MOTION 9
prepared by Yew Sze Ling@Fiona, KML
HOTS Questions
1. Ball A is attached to one end of a string, while an identical ball B is attached to the centre of
the string, as Figure below illustrates. Each ball has a mass of m = 0.50 kg and the length of
each half of the string is L = 0.40 m. This arrangement is held by the empty end and is
whirled around in a horizontal circle at a constant rate, so each ball is in uniform circular
motion. Ball A travels at a constant speed of vA = 5.0 m s-1 and ball B travels at a constant
speed of vB = 2.5 m s-1. Find the tension in each half of the string.
2. An object of mass m1 = 4.0 kg is tied to an object of mass m2 = 3.0 kg with String 1 of length
l = 0.5 m. The combination is swung in a vertical circular path on a second string, String 2 of
length l = 0.5 m. During the motion, the two strings are collinear at all times as shown in
Figure. At the top of its motion, m2 is travelling at v = 4.0 m s-1.
a) What is the tension in String 1 at this instant?
b) What is the tension in String 2 at this instant?
c) Which string will break first if the combination is rotated faster and faster?