Physics for Health Sciences

Spring 2022-2023
1430107

Dr. Hafsa Khurshid

hkhurshid@sharjah.ac.ae

Chapter 5
Circular Motion
 Circular Motion: Observations
 Object moving along a
curved path with constant
speed
 Magnitude of velocity: same
 Direction of velocity: changing
 Velocity: changing
 Acceleration is NOT zero!
 Uniform Circular Motion
• Velocity:  
– Magnitude: constant v
ac  v
– The direction of the velocity is
v2
tangent to the circle ac 
r

• Acceleration: v2
ac 
– Magnitude: r
– directed toward the center of the
circle of motion
• Period:
– time interval required for one
complete revolution of the particle 2r
T
v
A ball moves with a constant speed of 4 m/s around a circle of radius 0.25 m. What is
the period of the motion?
A) 0.1 s
B) 0.4 s
C) 0.7 s
D) 1 s
E) 2 s
The bobsled track at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, contained turns with
radii of 33 m and 24 m, as Figure illustrates. Find the centripetal acceleration at each turn
for a speed of 34 m/s, a speed that was achieved in the two-man event.

ac=35 m/s2
ac=48 m/s2
1. The speedometer of your car shows that you are traveling at a constant speed of 35 m/s. Is it possible
that your car is accelerating?

2. Ultracentrifuge is a machine that is used to separate the viruses from a sample solution by spinning at
a very high speed. The ultracentrifuge can produce an acceleration of 9800 km/s2.
What is the speed with which the sample rotates if the length of the arm of the centrifuge is r = 0.05 m?
Calculate the time period of the spinning in units of milliseconds.
Ultracentrifuge is a machine that is used to separate the viruses from a sample solution by spinning at a
very high speed. The ultracentrifuge can produce an acceleration of 9800 km/s2.
What is the speed with which the sample rotates if the length of the arm of the centrifuge is r = 0.05 m?
Calculate the time period of the spinning in units of milliseconds.
1. A solar-powered car is traveling at constant speed around a circular track. What happens to the
centripetal acceleration of the car if the speed is doubled?
A) The centripetal acceleration remains the same.
B) The centripetal acceleration increases by a factor of 2.
C) The centripetal acceleration increases by a factor of 4.
D) The centripetal acceleration is decreased by a factor of one-half.
E) The centripetal acceleration is decreased by a factor of one-fourth.

2. A car traveling at 20 m/s follows a curve in the road so that its centripetal acceleration is 5m/s 2. What is
the radius of the curve?
A) 4 m
B) 8 m
C) 80 m
D) 160 m
E) 640 m
A rock is whirled on the end of a string in a horizontal circle of radius R with a constant period T. If the
radius of the circle is reduced to R/3, while the period remains T, what happens to the centripetal
acceleration of the rock?
A) The centripetal acceleration remains the same.
B) The centripetal acceleration increases by a factor of 3.
C) The centripetal acceleration increases by a factor of 9.
D) The centripetal acceleration decreases by a factor of3.
E) The centripetal acceleration decreases by a factor of 9.
1. A toy plane is suspended from a string and flying in a horizontal circle. The 631-gram plane makes a
complete circle every 2.15 seconds. The radius of the circle is 0.950 m. Determine the acceleration of the
plane.
8.11 m/s2
0 m/s2
1 m/s2
25 m/s2
6.5 m/s2

2. A Ferris wheel has a diameter of 150 meters and takes approximately 30 minutes to make a full circle.
Determine the speed of riders in m/s
0.26 m/s
10 m/s
5.5 m/s
25 m/s
8.7 m/s

3. During the spin cycle of a washing machine, the clothes stick to the outer wall of the barrel as it spins
at a rate as high as 1800 revolutions per minute. The radius of the barrel is 26 cm.
a. Determine the speed of the clothes (in m/s) which are located on the wall of the spin barrel.
b. Determine the acceleration of the clothes.
9.2 x 103 m/s2
5.4 105 m/s2
3.2 x 103 m/s2
0 m/s2
15 x102 m/s2
1. A toy plane is suspended from a string and flying in a horizontal circle. The 631-gram plane makes a complete
circle every 2.15 seconds. The radius of the circle is 0.950 m. Determine the acceleration of the plane.
8.11 m/s2
0 m/s2
1 m/s2
25 m/s2
6.5 m/s2

2. A Ferris wheel has a diameter of 150 meters and takes approximately 30 minutes to make a full circle.
Determine the speed of riders in m/s
0.26 m/s
10 m/s
5.5 m/s
25 m/s
8.7 m/s
During the spin cycle of a washing machine, the clothes stick to the outer wall of the barrel
as it spins at a rate as high as 1800 revolutions per minute. The radius of the barrel is 26 cm.
a. Determine the speed of the clothes (in m/s) which are located on the wall of the spin
barrel.
b. Determine the acceleration of the clothes.
9.2 x 103 m/s2
5.4 105 m/s2
3.2 x 103 m/s2
0 m/s2
15 x102 m/s2
Approximately one billion years ago, the Moon orbited the Earth much closer than it does today. The radius
of the orbit was only 24 400 km. The orbital period was only 23 400 s. Today, the average radius is
385 000 km; and the present period is 2.36 × 106 s. Assuming that the orbit of the Moon is circular,
calculate the ratio of the speed of the Moon in its ancient orbit to the speed that it has today.
A) 15.8
B) 12.8
C) 10.2
D) 7.15
E) 6.39
 Exercises
Consider two people, one on the earth’s surface at the equator and
the other at the south pole. Which has the larger centripetal acceleration?

Consider two people, one on the earth's surface at the

equator, and the other at the north pole. We see that the
centripetal acceleration of an object moving in a circle of
radius r with period T can be written as ac= (4π2r)/T2 . The
earth rotates about an axis that passes approximately
through the north pole and is perpendicular to the plane of
the equator. Since both people are moving on the earth's
surface, they have the same period T. The person at the
equator moves in a larger circle so that r is larger for the
person at the equator. Therefore, the person at the equator
has a larger centripetal acceleration than the person at the
north pole.