Circular Motion
We travel to an amusement park to explore circular motion. We work through an example problem and define such terms as tangential velocity and centripetal acceleration.
We travel to an amusement park to explore circular motion. We work through an example problem and define such terms as tangential velocity and centripetal acceleration.
Learning Objectives
-Explain that objects accelerate when they change direction, even if they are not speeding up or slowing down.
-Explore the idea that centripetal force is the sum of the forces, such as friction, tension, gravity, or normal forces, acting toward the center of a circle a moving object traces out.
-Be able to identify or calculate an object’s tangential velocity, centripetal acceleration, the radius of the circle its motion traces out, the circumference of that circle, and the period of time it takes to travel through one complete revolution.
-Explain that you feel you are being pushed outward when moving in a circle, which is not a force, but the tendency of your body to continue in a straight line (inertia).
-Explain that objects accelerate when they change direction, even if they are not speeding up or slowing down.
-Explore the idea that centripetal force is the sum of the forces, such as friction, tension, gravity, or normal forces, acting toward the center of a circle a moving object traces out.
-Be able to identify or calculate an object’s tangential velocity, centripetal acceleration, the radius of the circle its motion traces out, the circumference of that circle, and the period of time it takes to travel through one complete revolution.
-Explain that you feel you are being pushed outward when moving in a circle, which is not a force, but the tendency of your body to continue in a straight line (inertia).
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Vocabulary
centripetal acceleration (aC) - the acceleration of an object moving in a circle that is directed toward the center of the circle. centripetal force (FC) - any force that causes an object to move in a circle. circular motion - anytime an object moves in a way that traces out a circular path. period (T) - the time it takes to go around a circle once. tangential velocity (vT) - the velocity of an object in its circular path that is directed tangent to the circle at that given point. Closer Look 3G: Circular MotionIn this Closer Look segment on circular motion, we investigate circular motion and solve for centripetal acceleration, centripetal force, and tangential velocity.
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