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6.1 Circular Motion 2024/2025CEPI-12A&B

Contents
6.1.1 Circular Motion
6.1.2 Radians
6.1.3 Angular Speed
6.1.4 Centripetal Acceleration
6.1.5 Centripetal Force
 6.1.1 Circular Motion
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Circular Motion
Velocity and acceleration are both vector quantities An object in uniform circular -
motion has a constant linear speed However, it is continuously changing
direction. Since velocity is the speed in a given direction, it, therefore, has a constantly
changing velocity
The object therefore must be accelerating
This is because acceleration is defined as the rate of change of velocity

This acceleration is called the centripetal acceleration and is perpendicular to the direction of the
linear speed
Centripetal means it acts towards the centre of the circular path

Centripetal force and acceleration are always directed towards the centre of the circle
The centripetal acceleration is caused by a centripetal force of constant magnitude that also acts
perpendicular to the direction of motion (towards the centre) Your notes
This is a result of Newton's Second Law

Therefore, the centripetal acceleration and force act in the same direction

Tip
The linear speed is sometimes referred to as the ‘tangential’ speed
A tangent is a straight line which touches a circle or curve at exactly one point
The key feature of a tangent of a circle is that it always acts perpendicular to its radius
You can nd out more in the A Level Maths revision notes on Tangents
 6.1.2 Radians
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Radians
In circular motion, it is more convenient to measure angular displacement in units of radians rather than
units of degrees
The angular displacement (θ) of a body in circular motion is de ned as:

The change in angle, in radians, of a body as it rotates around a circle

The angular displacement is the ratio of:

Note: both distances must be measured in the same units e.g. meters
A radian (rad) is defined as:

The angle subtended at the centre of a circle by an arc equal in length to the radius of the
circle

Angular displacement can be calculated using the equation:

 Your notes

When the angle is equal to one radian, the length of the arc (Δs) is equal to the radius (r) of the circle

Where:
Δθ = angular displacement, or angle of rotation (radians)
s = length of the arc, or the distance travelled around the circle (m)
r = radius of the circle (m)

Radians are commonly written in terms of π

o
The angle in radians for a complete circle (360 ) is equal to:

Radian Conversions
o
If an angle of 360 = 2π radians, then 1 radian in degrees is equal to:
360 180
= ≈ 57.3°
π π
Therefore, use the following equation to convert from radians to degrees:
180
θ rads × = θ°
ff

Use the following equation to convert from degrees to radians:

 π
θ° × = θ rads
180
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Worked example
Convert the following angular displacement into degrees:

Table of common degrees to radians conversions

Your notes
Exam Tip
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You will notice your calculator has a degree (Deg) and radians (Rad) mode
This is shown by the “D” or “R” highlighted at the top of the screen
Remember to make sure it’s in the right mode when using trigonometric functions (sin, cos, tan)
depending on whether the answer is required in degrees or radians
It is extremely common for students to get the wrong answer (and lose marks) because their
calculator is in the wrong mode - make sure this doesn’t happen to you!
This mode only matters if you're using sine, cos or tan
 6.1.3 Angular Speed
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Angular Speed
Any object travelling in a uniform circular motion at the same speed travels with a constantly changing
velocity
This is because it is constantly changing direction, and is therefore accelerating
The angular speed (⍵) of a body in circular motion is defined as:

The rate of change in angular displacement with respect to time

Angular speed is a scalar quantity and is measured in rad s-1

It can be calculated using:

Where:
Δθ = change in angular displacement (radians)
Δt = time interval (s)

When an object is in uniform circular motion, velocity constantly changes direction, but the speed stays
the same

Taking the angular displacement of a complete cycle as 2π, the angular speed ⍵ can be calculated
using the equation:
 Your notes

Where:
v = linear speed (m s-1)
r = radius of orbit (m)
T = the time period (s)
f = frequency (Hz)

Angular velocity is the same as angular speed, but it is a vector quantity

This equation shows that:
The greater the rotation angle θ in a given amount of time, the greater the angular velocity ⍵
An object rotating further from the centre of the circle (larger r) moves with a smaller angular
velocity (smaller ⍵)

Worked example
A bird f l ies in a horizontal circle with an angular speed of 5.25 rad s−1 of radius 650 m.

Calculate:

a) The linear speed of the bird

b) The frequency of the bird ying in a complete circle

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 6.1.4 Centripetal Acceleration
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Centripetal Acceleration Formula
Centripetal acceleration is defined as: the acceleration of a body traversing a circular path.

The centripetal acceleration of an object is always towards the centre of a circle because
the resultant vector of velocity is toward the centre of the circle as per teachers
explanation during lesson.

It can be defined using the radius r and linear speed v:

Where:
a = centripetal acceleration (m s–2)
v = linear speed (m s–1)
r = radius of the circular orbit (m) Using the
equation relating angular speed ω and linear speed v:

v=r

Where:
ω = angular speed (rad s–1)

These equations can be combined to give another form of the centripetal acceleration equation:

This equation shows that centripetal acceleration is equal to the radius times the square of the angular
speed

This equation can be combined with the f i r s t one to give us another form of the centripetal

acceleration equation:
 This equation shows how the centripetal acceleration relates to the linear speed and the angular speed

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Centripetal acceleration is always directed toward the centre of the circle, and is perpendicular to the
object’s velocity

Where:
a = centripetal acceleration (m s−2)
v = linear speed (m s−1)
⍵ = angular speed (rad s−1)
r = radius of the orbit (m)

Worked example
A ball tied to a string is rotating in a horizontal circle with a radius of 1.5 m and an angular speed of
3.5 rad s−1.

Calculate its centripetal acceleration if the radius was twice as large and angular speed was twice as
fast.
Your notes
 6.1.5 Centripetal Force (centre-seeking force)
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Calculating Centripetal Force
An object moving in a circle is not in equilibrium, it has a resultant force acting upon it
This is known as the centripetal force and is what keeps the object moving in a circle

The centripetal force (F) is defined as:

The resultant force towards the centre of the circle required to keep a body in uniform
circular motion. It is always directed towards the centre of the body's rotation (in
direction of centripetal acceleration)

Centripetal force can be calculated using:

Centripetal force is always perpendicular to the direction of travel

Where:
F = centripetal force (N)
v = linear velocity (m s-1)
-1
⍵ = angular speed (rad s )
r = radius of the orbit (m)

Note: centripetal force and centripetal acceleration act in the same direction
This is due to Newton’s Second Law
The centripetal force is not a separate force of its own
It can be any type of force, depending on the situation, which keeps an object moving in a circular
path Your notes

Examples of centripetal force

When solving circular motion problems involving one of these forces, the equation for centripetal force
can be equated to the relevant force equation For example, for a mass orbiting a planet in
a circular path, the centripetal force is provided by the gravitational force

When an object travels in circular motion, there is no work done

This is because there is no change in kinetic energy
 Worked example
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A 300 g ball is made to travel in a circle of radius 0.8 m on the end of a string. If the maximum force the
ball can withstand before breaking is 60 N, what is the maximum speed of the ball?

Answer:

Mass, m = 300 g = 300 × 10-3 kg

Radius, r = 0.8 m
Resultant force, F = 60 N

mv2max
Fmax =
r
rFmax
vmax =
m

0 .8 × 60
vmax = = 12.6 m s–1
300 × 10−3