High School · Ages 14-18Grades 9-12 · IGCSE · AS & A-Level · IB DiplomaExtended

 

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Setups other learners found interesting in Circular Motion. Try one, then tweak it.

Circular Motion

An object moves around a circle at constant speed. Its velocity is constant in size but always changing direction, so it is always accelerating — toward the centre. That centripetal acceleration needs a real inward force; remove it and the object flies off along the tangent, not outward.

Key formulas

  • ac=v2r=ω2ra_c = \dfrac{v^{2}}{r} = \omega^{2} r

    Centripetal acceleration

    aca_c
    Centripetal accelerationm/s²
    vv
    Speedm/s
    rr
    Radiusm
    Open the formula card
  • Fc=mv2rF_c = \dfrac{m v^{2}}{r}

    Centripetal force

    FcF_c
    Centripetal forceN
    mm
    Masskg
    vv
    Speedm/s
    rr
    Radiusm
    Open the formula card
  • T=2πrv=2πωT = \dfrac{2\pi r}{v} = \dfrac{2\pi}{\omega}

    Period of circular motion

    TT
    Periods
    rr
    Radiusm
    vv
    Speedm/s
    Open the formula card

What you can change

  • Radius
  • Tangential speed
  • Mass
  • Ball diameter

Key concepts

  • Uniform circular motion
  • Centripetal acceleration points to the centre
  • Centripetal force comes from a real force (tension, gravity, friction)
  • Angular velocity and period