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2/27/2017 TheCentripetalForceRequirement

CircularMotionandSatelliteMotionLesson1MotionCharacteristicsforCircularMotion

TheCentripetalForceRequirement
SpeedandVelocity
Acceleration
TheCentripetalForceRequirement
TheForbiddenFWord
MathematicsofCircularMotion

Asmentionedearlierinthislesson,anobjectmovinginacircleisexperiencinganacceleration.Evenif
movingaroundtheperimeterofthecirclewithaconstantspeed,thereisstillachangeinvelocityand
subsequentlyanacceleration.Thisaccelerationisdirectedtowardsthecenterofthecircle.Andin
accordwithNewton'ssecondlawofmotion,anobjectwhichexperiencesanaccelerationmustalsobe
experiencinganetforce.Thedirectionofthenetforceisinthesamedirectionastheacceleration.So
foranobjectmovinginacircle,theremustbeaninwardforceactinguponitinordertocauseits
inwardacceleration.Thisissometimesreferredtoasthecentripetalforcerequirement.The
word centripetal
(nottobeconfusedwiththeFword centrifugal
)meanscenterseeking.Forobject's
movingincircularmotion,thereisanetforceactingtowardsthecenterwhichcausestheobject
to seek
thecenter.
Tounderstandtheimportanceofacentripetalforce,itisimportanttohaveasturdyunderstandingof
theNewton'sfirstlawofmotionthelawofinertia.Thelawofinertiastatesthat...

...objectsinmotiontendtostayinmotionwiththesamespeedandthesamedirectionunless
acteduponbyanunbalancedforce.

AccordingtoNewton'sfirstlawofmotion,itisthenaturaltendencyofallmovingobjectstocontinuein
motioninthesamedirectionthattheyaremoving...unlesssomeformofunbalancedforceactsupon
theobjecttodeviateitsmotionfromitsstraightlinepath.Movingobjectswilltendtonaturallytravelin
straightlinesanunbalancedforceisonlyrequiredtocauseittoturn.Thus,thepresenceofan
unbalancedforceisrequiredforobjectstomoveincircles.


Inertia,ForceandAccelerationforanAutomobilePassenger
TheideaexpressedbyNewton'slawofinertiashouldnotbesurprisingtous.Weexperiencethis
phenomenonofinertianearlyeverydaywhenwedriveourautomobile.Forexample,imaginethatyou
areapassengerinacaratatrafficlight.Thelightturnsgreenandthedriveracceleratesfromrest.The
carbeginstoaccelerateforward,yetrelativetotheseatwhichyouareonyourbodybeginstolean
backwards.Yourbodybeingatresttendstostayatrest.Thisisoneaspectofthelawofinertia
"objectsatresttendtostayatrest."Asthewheelsofthecarspintogenerateaforwardforceuponthe
carandcauseaforwardacceleration,yourbodytendstostayinplace.Itcertainlymightseemtoyouas
thoughyourbodywereexperiencingabackwardsforcecausingittoacceleratebackwards.Yetyou
wouldhaveadifficulttimeidentifyingsuchabackwardsforceonyourbody.Indeedthereisn'tone.The
feelingofbeingthrownbackwardsismerelythetendencyofyourbodytoresisttheaccelerationandto
remaininitsstateofrest.Thecarisacceleratingoutfromunderyourbody,leavingyouwiththefalse
feelingofbeingpushedbackwards.
Nowimaginethatyouareinthesamecarmovingalongataconstantspeedapproachingastoplight.
Thedriverappliesthebrakes,thewheelsofthecarlock,andthecarbeginstoskidtoastop.Thereisa
backwardsforceupontheforwardmovingcarandsubsequentlyabackwardsaccelerationonthecar.
However,yourbody,beinginmotion,tendstocontinueinmotionwhilethecarisskiddingtoastop.It
certainlymightseemtoyouasthoughyourbodywereexperiencingaforwardsforcecausingitto
accelerateforwards.Yetyouwouldoncemorehaveadifficulttimeidentifyingsuchaforwardsforceon
yourbody.Indeedthereisnophysicalobjectacceleratingyouforwards.Thefeelingofbeingthrown
forwardsismerelythetendencyofyourbodytoresistthedecelerationandtoremaininitsstateof1/3
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/circles/Lesson1/TheCentripetalForceRequirement

forwardmotion.ThisisthesecondaspectofNewton'slawofinertia"anobjectinmotiontendstostay
2/27/2017 TheCentripetalForceRequirement

inmotionwiththesamespeedandinthesamedirection...."Theunbalancedforceactinguponthecar
causesthecartoslowdownwhileyourbodycontinuesinitsforwardmotion.Youareoncemoreleft
withthefalsefeelingofbeingpushedinadirectionwhichisoppositeyouracceleration.
Thesetwodrivingscenariosaresummarizedbythefollowinggraphic.

Ineachcasethecarstartingfromrestandthemovingcarbrakingtoastopthedirectionwhichthe
passengersleanisoppositethedirectionoftheacceleration.Thisismerelytheresultofthepassenger's
inertiathetendencytoresistacceleration.Thepassenger'sleanisnotanaccelerationinitselfbut
ratherthetendencytomaintainthestateofmotionwhilethecardoestheacceleration.Thetendencyof
apassenger'sbodytomaintainitsstateofrestormotionwhilethesurroundings(thecar)accelerateis
oftenmisconstruedasanacceleration.Thisbecomesparticularlyproblematicwhenweconsiderthe
thirdpossibleinertiaexperienceofapassengerinamovingautomobilethelefthandturn.
Supposethatonthenextpartofyourtravelsthedriverofthecarmakesasharpturntotheleftat
constantspeed.Duringtheturn,thecartravelsinacirculartypepath.Thatis,thecarsweepsoutone
quarterofacircle.Thefrictionforceactingupontheturned
wheelsofthecarcausesanunbalancedforceuponthecaranda
subsequentacceleration.Theunbalancedforceandthe
accelerationarebothdirectedtowardsthecenterofthecircle
aboutwhichthecaristurning.Yourbodyhoweverisinmotion
andtendstostayinmotion.Itistheinertiaofyourbodythe
tendencytoresistaccelerationthatcausesittocontinueinits
forwardmotion.Whilethecarisacceleratinginward,you
continueinastraightline.Ifyouaresittingonthepassengerside
ofthecar,theneventuallytheoutsidedoorofthecarwillhityou
asthecarturnsinward.Thisphenomenonmightcauseyoutothinkthatyouarebeingaccelerated
outwardsawayfromthecenterofthecircle.Inreality,youarecontinuinginyourstraightlineinertial
pathtangenttothecirclewhilethecarisacceleratingoutfromunderyou.Thesensationofanoutward
forceandanoutwardaccelerationisafalsesensation.Thereisnophysicalobjectcapableofpushing
yououtwards.Youaremerelyexperiencingthetendencyofyourbodytocontinueinitspathtangentto
thecircularpathalongwhichthecaristurning.Youareoncemoreleftwiththefalsefeelingofbeing
pushedinadirectionthatisoppositeyouracceleration.



TheCentripetalForceandDirectionChange
Anyobjectmovinginacircle(oralongacircularpath)experiencesacentripetalforce.Thatis,there
issomephysicalforcepushingorpullingtheobjecttowardsthecenterofthecircle.Thisisthe
centripetalforcerequirement.Theword centripetal
ismerelyanadjectiveusedtodescribethedirection
oftheforce.Wearenotintroducinganew type
offorcebutratherdescribingthedirectionofthenet
forceactingupontheobjectthatmovesinthecircle.Whatevertheobject,ifitmovesinacircle,thereis
someforceactinguponittocauseittodeviatefromitsstraightlinepath,accelerateinwardsandmove
alongacircularpath.Threesuchexamplesofcentripetalforceareshownbelow.

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/circles/Lesson1/TheCentripetalForceRequirement 2/3
2/27/2017 TheCentripetalForceRequirement

Asacarmakesaturn,theforce Asabucketofwateristiedtoastring AsthemoonorbitstheEarth,


offrictionactingupontheturned andspuninacircle,thetensionforce theforceofgravityactingupon
wheelsofthecarprovides actinguponthebucketprovidesthe themoonprovidesthe
centripetalforcerequiredfor centripetalforcerequiredforcircular centripetalforcerequiredfor
circularmotion. motion. circularmotion.

Thecentripetalforceforuniformcircularmotionaltersthedirectionoftheobjectwithoutalteringits
speed.Theideathatanunbalancedforcecanchangethedirectionofthevelocityvectorbutnotits
magnitudemayseemabitstrange.Howcouldthatbe?Thereareanumberofwaystoapproachthis
question.Oneapproachinvolvestoanalyzethemotionfromaworkenergystandpoint.RecallfromUnit
5ofThePhysicsClassroomthatworkisaforceactinguponanobjecttocauseadisplacement.The
amountofworkdoneuponanobjectisfoundusingtheequation
Work=Force*displacement*cosine(Theta)
wheretheThetaintheequationrepresentstheanglebetweentheforceandthedisplacement.Asthe
centripetalforceactsuponanobjectmovinginacircleatconstantspeed,theforcealwaysactsinward
asthevelocityoftheobjectisdirectedtangenttothecircle.Thiswouldmeanthattheforceisalways
directedperpendiculartothedirectionthattheobjectisbeingdisplaced.TheangleThetaintheabove
equationis90degreesandthecosineof90degreesis0.Thus,theworkdonebythecentripetalforce
inthecaseofuniformcircularmotionis0Joules.RecallalsofromUnit5ofThePhysicsClassroomthat
whennoworkisdoneuponanobjectbyexternalforces,thetotalmechanicalenergy(potentialenergy
pluskineticenergy)oftheobjectremainsconstant.Soifanobjectismovinginahorizontalcircleat
constantspeed,thecentripetalforcedoesnotdoworkandcannotalterthetotalmechanicalenergyof
theobject.Forthisreason,thekineticenergyandtherefore,thespeedoftheobjectwillremain
constant.Theforcecanindeedacceleratetheobjectbychangingitsdirectionbutitcannotchange
itsspeed.Infact,whenevertheunbalancedcentripetalforceactsperpendiculartothedirectionof
motion,thespeedoftheobjectwillremainconstant.Foranunbalancedforcetochangethespeedof
theobject,therewouldhavetobeacomponentofforceinthedirectionof(ortheoppositedirectionof)
themotionoftheobject.

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/circles/Lesson1/TheCentripetalForceRequirement 3/3

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