Circular Motion

Circular Motion
• Describe the motion of an object traveling in a
circular path.
• Describe circular orbits using Kepler’s third law.
 Warm up

• Can an object be accelerated if its speed remains

constant?
• Yes - its direction can change.
• Can an object be accelerated if its velocity remains
constant?
• No… velocity is a vector quantity. If velocity is
constant, speed and direction are constant.
 Uniform Circular Motion
The Motion of an Object in a Circle With
a Constant or Uniform Speed.
 Uniform Circular Motion
Terms

Uniform circular motion

• Centripetal force:
• Centripetal acceleration:
• Radial acceleration (same)
• Frequency, f (cycles/sec or Hertz, Hz)
• Period, T (sec)
 Uniform Circular Motion
Equations and Terms

Uniform circular motion

v mv 2
• F =−
Centripetal force:
r
rˆ
2
v v
• Centripetal acceleration:
a = −
r
rˆ

• Radial acceleration (same)

• Frequency, f (cycles/sec or Hertz, Hz)
1
• Period, T (sec) T =
f
 Newton’s second law of motion:
The acceleration of an object is directly
proportional to the net force on the object and
inversely proportional to the mass of the object,
with the force and acceleration in the same
direction.
 Example 1:

A 20-kg child on a merry-go-round is moving at a speed

of 1.35 m/s at a distance of 1.20 m from the center.
Calculate the centripetal force on the child and the centripetal
acceleration of the child.
 Example 1: Solutions

F = mv2/r

F = (20 kg)(1.35 m/s)2/1.20 m

F = 30.4 N toward the center

a = v2/r

a = (1.35 m/s)2/1.20m

a = 1.52 m/s2 toward the center

 Question: What forces act on a car turning on a
flat road?

Answer: Static frictional force between the road and the tires
Car in flat circular turn
 Example 3:

What is the maximum speed with which a 2000 kg vehicle can round a curve
of radius 50 m on a flat road of the coefficient of friction between tire and
pavement is 0.80?

What is the maximum speed for a 1000 kg vehicle?

What is the maximum speed if the coefficient on an icy day drops to 0.10?
 Example 3 : Solution
Fc = Ff
mv2/r = mg
v2/r =  g
(v)2/50 m = (0.8)(9.8 m/s2)
v = 19.7 m/s (about 44 mph)

(Notice that, just like road speed limit signs, mass doesn’t
matter!)

When icy:
(v)2/50 m= (0.1)(9.8 m/s2)
v = 7.0 m/s (about 15 mph)
 Car in banked circular turn

(1) Frictionless Road

How many
forces are
acting on the
car? (assuming no
frictional force )
 Ideal Banking

Banking the curve can help keep cars

from skidding.
In fact, for every banked curve, there
is one speed where the entire
centripetal force is supplied by the
horizontal component of the normal
force, and no friction is required.

This occurs when:

Car doing a banked turn
Airplane banking
 Example 4

Answer r = 2.16 km
 Example 5:

What angle does a frictionless track of radius 100 meters

need to be banked so that cars travelling 30 m/s can
negotiate the turn?
 Solution to example 5:
Draw a free body diagram and look for a force or
component that points toward the center of the
circular path. Prove to yourself that the centripetal
force in this case is N sin  and that the weight, mg, is
equal to N cos  .
Solution to example 5(continued):

So, this component provides the centripetal force.

N sin  = mv2/r

Also, since mg = Ncos , then:

N = mg/cos 

When we substitute into the first equation above:

(mg/cos )(sin ) = mv2/r

tan  = v2/gr [Again, mass doesn’t matter!]

 = tan-1 {(30 m/s)2 /(9.8 m/s2)(100 m)} =
tan-1 9 = 42.6
 Conical Pendulum
Question: What force produces the centripetal acceleration?

Answer: The horizontal component of the tension in the string

Rollercoaster Loops
 Special conditions
At the top of a vertical circular loop, the normal reaction force
or tension depends on the speed of the object.
1. Minimum Speed: At the minimum speed required to maintain circular motion,
the only force providing the centripetal acceleration is gravity. This means the
normal reaction force (for objects like a car on a track) or tension (for objects on a
string) would be zero at this speed. The object is essentially "floating" over the top
because its weight is just enough to provide the necessary centripetal force.
2. Greater than Minimum Speed: If the object's speed is greater than the
minimum speed at the top of the loop, the forces acting towards the center (gravity
plus normal force or tension) will be to equal the centripetal force. (𝑣>√𝑔𝑟 )
Equation: 𝐹𝑔+𝐹𝑁=𝑚𝑣2 /𝑟 (for normal force) or 𝐹𝑔+𝑇=𝑚𝑣2/𝑟 (for tension).
3. Less Than the Minimum Speed: If the speed is less than the minimum
required: Gravity alone is not enough to provide the necessary centripetal force, and
since tension or normal force can't be negative in this context, the object will not
maintain its circular path and will instead start to fall away from the loop (lose
contact). (𝑣 < √𝑔𝑟 )
 Summary:

• At the minimum speed, there is no normal force

or tension at the top of the loop—gravity alone
provides the centripetal force.
• At higher speeds, there will be a non-zero normal
force or tension to help provide the additional
centripetal force needed for the motion.
• At lower speeds, the object cannot maintain circular
motion and will fall.
Newton’s law of Gravitational force
 Circular Motion of a Satellite orbiting the Earth

v = (GM/r)1/2

r is the distance from the center of the Earth to the satellite

Example 6: What is the average linear speed of the moon
as moves in its orbit around Earth (assuming it actually
orbits Earth)?

d 2 r (2)( )(3.84 x108 m)

v= = =
t T (28days)(8.64 x104 s / day )
 Satellite Speeds
Since centripetal force is provided by gravitational force:
Fc = FG
mv2/r = GMm/r2
v2 = GM/r
v = (GM/r)1/2
Thus, orbital speed increases when orbital radius decreases, and vice
versa, for a stable circular orbit.

What happens if a satellite in circular orbit experiences a change in its

tangential speed?
1. A lot too high? Escapes Earth’s gravity
2. A lot too low? Returns to Earth
3. Slightly higher? Goes into larger elliptical orbit
4. Slightly lower? Goes into smaller elliptical orbit
Example 7: What should the speed of a geosynchronous
satellite orbiting at 4 Earth radii above Earth’s surface be
for a stable orbit?

Answer: Geosynchronous means the satellite’s orbital

period equals Earth’s, so
T = 24 h = 8.64x104 s

Since v = d/t, then vsatellite = 2r/T

rorbit = h + rearth = 5(6.38 x 106 ) = 3.19 x 107 m

 Kepler’s third law
It was Kepler who first established that the time period of an
orbit is proportional to the cube of its radius.
Kepler’s third law

T2  r3

Kepler derived his third law from

experimental data in around 1605.
There was no theory available at the
time to account for it.

It was Newton who was able to

Johannes Kepler derive the full expression, using his
back_arrow_trans
1571–1630 theory of universal gravitation. forward_arrow_grey
forward_arrow_colour

43 of 36 © Boardworks Ltd 2010

 Kepler’s third law.
For a satellite in circular orbit around a central body, the
satellite’s centripetal acceleration is caused only by gravitational
attraction. The period and radius of the circular orbit are
related to the mass of the central body.
Kepler's Third Law is important because it:
1. Gives a predictable relationship between a planet's orbital
period and distance.
2. Led to Newton’s Law of Gravitation, linking celestial and
terrestrial physics.
3. Allows us to calculate and predict orbital characteristics,
which is necessary for space exploration and satellite
technology.
4. Provides ideas about the masses and gravitational influence
of celestial bodies, enhancing our understanding of
planetary systems.
https://www.physicsclassroom.c
om/Concept-
Checkers/Interactives/Vertical-
Circle-Sim/Concept-Checker
 “Weightlessness”

An astronaut aboard a space shuttle will experience what we

call weightlessness, only because the astronaut, the shuttle,
and everything and everyone on board are all in free fall, i.e.,
they are accelerating toward Earth. They don’t hit Earth,
because the tangential velocity of the shuttle is large enough
that they fall toward Earth and “miss”. In fact, at the altitude
the shuttles orbit, g has a value of about 8.7 m/s2.
 What provides the centripetal force in each of
the following situations?
1. Ball being spun in a horizontal circle on a string
2. Ball being spun in a vertical circle on a string when the ball is at the top (at
minimum speed)
3. Ball being spun in a vertical circle on a string when the ball is moving at
greater than minimum speed
4. Ball being spun in a vertical circle on a string when the ball is at the bottom
5. Person riding the “Finnish Fling” at Worlds of Fun
6. Satellite in orbit around Earth
7. Clothes being spun in a washing machine
8. Car rounding a corner on a level road
9. Race car rounding a banked curve when surface is covered with fuel and tire
particles (i.e., essentially frictionless)
1. Ball being spun in a horizontal circle on a string: Tension in the string provides the centripetal
force.
2. Ball being spun in a vertical circle on a string when the ball is at the top (at minimum speed): At
the top, gravitational force acts towards the center, contributing to the centripetal force.
3. Ball being spun in a vertical circle on a string when the ball is moving at greater than minimum
speed: Tension in the string provides the centripetal force along with gravity. The higher
the speed, the more the tension in the string needs to balance the forces at different
points.
4. Ball being spun in a vertical circle on a string when the ball is at the bottom: Tension in the
string provides the centripetal force, countering gravity, which acts in the opposite
direction.
5. Person riding the "Finnish Fling" at Worlds of Fun (centrifuge-type amusement ride): The
normal force from the wall of the ride provides the centripetal force, pushing the person
towards the center.
6. Satellite in orbit around Earth: Gravitational force between the Earth and the satellite acts
as the centripetal force, keeping the satellite in orbit.
7. Clothes being spun in a washing machine: The normal force exerted by the walls of the drum
on the clothes provides the centripetal force, pushing them toward the center of the
circular path.
8. Car rounding a corner on a level road: Frictional force between the tires and the road
provides the centripetal force, enabling the car to turn.
9. Race car rounding a banked curve when the surface is covered with fuel and tire particles
(essentially frictionless): The horizontal component of the normal force from the banked
surface provides the centripetal force in this frictionless case.