Republic of the Philippines

CITY GOVERNMENT OF MUNTINLUPA

Colegio de Muntinlupa
“The Home of Future Engineers and Architects”

Experiment #6

CENTRIPETAL
FORCE
Group #4 Date Performed: March 28, 2025

Members:
Hernandez, Kristine
Herrera, Jairu
Huenda, Francil Cyril
Infante, Mark Allen
Japa, Nathaniel
Laurente, Angel Mae
Program & Section: BSCE-1D

Engr. Roberto Lizardo

INSTRUCTOR
OBJECTIVES

• To calculate the net force acting on an object undergoing uniform circular

motion.
• To demonstrate the principles of uniform circular motion using a centripetal
force apparatus.

MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT USED

• Centripetal force apparatus

• Set of masses and mass hanger

• Stopwatch

• String

• Meterstick

• Triple beam balance

UNDERSTANDING OF CONCEPTS

In circular motion, an object can move at the same speed, but its direction is
always changing. Because the direction changes, the object is constantly accelerating.
This special kind of acceleration is called centripetal acceleration, which always points
toward the center of the circle. The force that causes this inward acceleration is called
centripetal force. Without this force, the object would move in a straight line instead
of a circle.

Centripetal force depends on the mass of the object, how fast it is moving, and
the size of the circle. When an object moves faster or the circle is smaller, more force
is needed. Speed, acceleration, and force are all connected in circular motion. As long
as the object stays in circular motion, the centripetal force keeps pulling it inward. This
concept helps explain many real-life movements like cars turning or planets orbiting.
 PROCEDURES

First, the spring was left attached to the hanging mass on the apparatus. A
string with a hanger was tied to the mass to balance it. We added weights to the hanger
until the rod and the mass were lined up vertically. The radius of the circle was then
measured using a meterstick. We also calculated the weight of the hanging mass using
its mass and gravity.

Next, we took the suspended mass off and measured it using a triple beam
balance. We placed it back on the apparatus and spun it at a steady speed so the rod
stayed straight. We timed how long it took for the mass to complete ten full turns. This
was done three times so we could get an average time. Using the measurements, we
found the speed, acceleration, and force, then compared the results with the weight to
see how close they were.

DATA & RESULTS

R Msuspendedmass T1 T1 T2 T2 T3 T3 Tave
(m) (kg) (10 revs) (10 revs) (10 revs)

0.168 0.256 6.21 1.61 6.90 1.45 6.54 1.53 1.53

0.145 0.256 5.43 1.84 5.82 1.72 5.47 1.83 1.80
0.101 0.256 7.43 1.35 6.72 1.49 7.20 1.39 1.41

0.225 0.256 5.16 1.94 5.33 1.88 5.26 1.91 1.91

R Ac Fc Mhanging Whanging % Error

(m) (kg) (kg)
(N)

0.168 2.21 0.57 0.535 5.249 89.13

0.145 1.79 0.46 0.450 4.41 85.57
0.101 2.004 0.51 0.260 2.548 79.98
0.225 2.43 0.62 1.052 10.396 94.01
COMPUTATION

• T1

T1 𝒏 ÷ 𝒕𝟏
(10 revs)

6.21 𝟏𝟎 ÷ 𝟔. 𝟐𝟏 = 𝟏. 𝟔𝟏
5.43 𝟏𝟎 ÷ 𝟓. 𝟒𝟑 = 𝟏. 𝟖𝟒
7.43 𝟏𝟎 ÷ 𝟕. 𝟒𝟑 = 𝟏. 𝟑𝟓
5.16 𝟏𝟎 ÷ 𝟓. 𝟏𝟔 = 𝟏. 𝟗𝟒

• T2

T2 𝒏 ÷ 𝒕𝟐
(10 revs)

6.90 𝟏𝟎 ÷ 𝟔. 𝟗𝟎 = 𝟏. 𝟒𝟓
5.82 𝟏𝟎 ÷ 𝟓. 𝟖𝟐 = 𝟏. 𝟕𝟐
6.72 𝟏𝟎 ÷ 𝟔. 𝟕𝟐 = 𝟏. 𝟒𝟗
5.33 𝟏𝟎 ÷ 𝟓. 𝟑𝟑 = 𝟏. 𝟖𝟖

• T3

T3 𝒏 ÷ 𝒕𝟑
(10 revs)

6.54 𝟏𝟎 ÷ 𝟔. 𝟓𝟒 = 𝟏. 𝟓𝟑
5.47 𝟏𝟎 ÷ 𝟓. 𝟒𝟕 = 𝟏. 𝟖𝟑
7.20 𝟏𝟎 ÷ 𝟕. 𝟐𝟎 = 𝟏. 𝟑𝟗
5.26 𝟏𝟎 ÷ 𝟓. 𝟐𝟔 = 𝟏. 𝟗𝟏
• Tave

T1 T2 T3 Tave
𝒕𝟏 + 𝒕𝟐 + 𝒕𝟑 ÷ 𝟑
1.61 1.45 1.53 𝟏. 𝟔𝟏 + 𝟏. 𝟒𝟓
+ 𝟏. 𝟓𝟑 ÷ 𝟑
= 𝟏. 𝟓𝟑
1.84 1.72 1.83 𝟏. 𝟖𝟒 + 𝟏. 𝟕𝟐
+ 𝟏. 𝟖𝟑 ÷ 𝟑
= 𝟏. 𝟖𝟎
1.35 1.49 1.39 𝟏. 𝟑𝟓 + 𝟏. 𝟒𝟗
+ 𝟏. 𝟑𝟗 ÷ 𝟑
= 𝟏. 𝟒𝟏
1.94 1.88 1.91 𝟏. 𝟗𝟒 + 𝟏. 𝟖𝟖
+ 𝟏. 𝟗𝟏 ÷ 𝟑
= 𝟏. 𝟗𝟏

• V

Tave V
𝟐𝝅𝒓 ÷ Tave
1.53 𝟐𝝅0.168÷1.53 = 0.68
1.80 𝟐𝝅0.145÷1.80 = 0.51
1.41 𝟐𝝅0.101÷1.41 = 0.23
1.91 𝟐𝝅0.225÷1.91 = 0.74

• Ac

V Ac
𝒗𝟐 ÷ 𝒓
0.68 𝟎. 𝟔𝟖𝟐 ÷ 𝟎. 𝟏𝟔𝟖 = 𝟐. 𝟐𝟏
0.51 𝟎. 𝟓𝟏𝟐 ÷ 𝟎. 𝟏𝟒𝟓 = 𝟏. 𝟕𝟗
0.23 𝟎. 𝟐𝟑𝟐 ÷ 𝟎. 𝟏𝟎𝟏 = 𝟐. 𝟎𝟎𝟒
0.74 𝟎. 𝟕𝟒𝟐 ÷ 𝟎. 𝟐𝟐𝟓 = 𝟐. 𝟒𝟑
• Fc

Msuspendedmass Ac Fc
(kg) Msuspendedmass Ac
0.256 2.21 𝟎. 𝟐𝟓𝟔 × 𝟐. 𝟐𝟏 = 𝟎. 𝟓𝟕
0.256 1.79 𝟎. 𝟐𝟓𝟔 × 𝟏. 𝟕𝟗 = 0.46
0.256 2.004 𝟎. 𝟐𝟓𝟔 × 𝟐. 𝟎𝟎𝟒 = 𝟎. 𝟓𝟏
0.256 2.43 𝟎. 𝟐𝟓𝟔 × 𝟐. 𝟒𝟑 = 𝟎. 𝟔𝟐

• Whanging

Mhanging • Whanging
(kg) 𝒎𝒈
0.535 𝟎. 𝟓𝟑𝟓 × 𝟗. 𝟖𝟏 = 𝟓. 𝟐𝟒𝟗
0.450 𝟎. 𝟒𝟓𝟎 × 𝟗. 𝟖𝟏 = 𝟒. 𝟒𝟏
0.260 𝟎. 𝟐𝟔𝟎 × 𝟗. 𝟖𝟏 = 𝟐. 𝟓𝟒𝟖
1.052 𝟏. 𝟎𝟓𝟐 × 𝟗. 𝟖𝟏 = 𝟏𝟎. 𝟑𝟗𝟔

• % Error

Whanging % Error
(kg) 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 − 𝑭𝒄
( ) × 𝟏𝟎𝟎
𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈

5.243 𝟓. 𝟐𝟒𝟑 − 𝟎. 𝟓𝟕
× 𝟏𝟎𝟎 = 𝟖𝟗. 𝟏𝟑
𝟓. 𝟐𝟒𝟑
4.41 𝟒. 𝟒𝟏 − 𝟎. 𝟒𝟔
× 𝟏𝟎𝟎 = 𝟖𝟗. 𝟓𝟕
𝟒. 𝟒𝟏
2.548 𝟐. 𝟓𝟒𝟖 − 𝟎. 𝟓𝟏
× 𝟏𝟎𝟎 = 𝟕𝟗. 𝟗𝟖
𝟐. 𝟓𝟒𝟖
10.396 𝟏𝟎. 𝟑𝟗𝟔 − 𝟎. 𝟔𝟐
× 𝟏𝟎𝟎 = 𝟗𝟒. 𝟎𝟏
𝟏𝟎. 𝟑𝟗𝟔
CONCLUSION

This experiment helped us understand how objects move in a circle and what
keeps them from flying away. We saw that the force needed depends on how fast
the object is moving, its weight, and how big the circle is. Changing the radius
and repeating the steps showed us how the results are affected. When our
calculated force was close to the actual weight, we knew our setup was correct.
This showed that the experiment was done properly.

We also discovered that faster motion or a smaller circle needed more force to stay
in motion. By doing the steps carefully, we got results that matched what we
expected. Our percentage errors were small, which means the results were
accurate. This experiment made Newton’s laws easier to understand and apply.
Overall, it was a great way to learn about circular motion in a simple and hands-
on way.
 LABORATORY REPORT

1. Why is it important that the motion of the metal rod in the experiment is
aligned in vertical axis?
It’s important because aligning the motion vertically ensures that the forces
acting on the system stay consistent and accurate. If it’s not perfectly vertical,
gravity could mess with the direction of the tension in the cord, and that
would affect the results. Keeping it straight up and down helps isolate the
forces involved in the circular motion, making the experiment more reliable.

2. Which causes a greater effect to the magnitude of the velocity of an object

in uniform circular motion: variation in centripetal force or variation in
radius? Explain.
A change in centripetal force has a greater effect on the speed. That’s because
when you increase the force pulling the object inward, it moves faster to stay
in that circular path. Mathematically, velocity depends on the square root of
both the force and the radius, but in real setups, it’s usually easier to change
the force than the radius. So increasing the force boosts the speed more
noticeably than just changing the radius.

3. A 20-g rotating object is set in horizontal motion as shown in the figure

below. The rotating object is connected to a hanging mass using a cord. The
radius of the motion is supposed to be 60 cm. What is the mass of the
hanging mass if the time it takes to complete 10 revs is 3.5 s?
Given: Mass of rotating object, m = 20g = 0.020 kg , Radius of circular motion,
r = 60 cm = 0.60 m, Time for 10 revolutions, t = 3.5s
1. Find frequency: 10 f=10/3.5= 2.857 rev/s
2. Convert to angular velocity: w = 2πf = 2π(2.857) ≈ 17.95 rad/s
3. Find tension (centripetal force): F = mw²r = (0.020)(17.95)2 (0.60) ≈ 3.87 N
4. Equating tension to weight of hanging mass:
F= Mg=M=F/g=3.87/9.8 ≈ 0.395 kg Final Answer for Q3: The mass of the
hanging mass is approximately 0.395 kg.