CIRCULAR MOTION AND

GRAVITATION
 Learning Outcomes

• Define the radian, angular speed and angular

displacement.
• Interconvert between radians, degrees and
revolutions.
• Explain why a body in circular motion is said to
be accelerating.
• Apply Newton’s second law to circular motion.
 Circular Motion
• A body in circular motion describes a circle or
arc at some point in its motion.
 Linear and Angular Displacement
• A particle in circular motion has both linear
and angular displacement. S = r
 Angular Measure
• If the arc AB is equal in length to the radius r,
then the angle is equal to 1 radian.
• A revolution is a complete turn (360 0r 2)

360 = 2rads= 1 rev

 Angular Measure
• Fill in the following table:

Degree Radian Revolutions

90
0.75
40
480

0.5
 Kinematics of Circular Motion
If = angular displacement,

= angular velocity (rad)

= angular acceleration,

• and

•S = r. Dividing both sides by t,

v=r
•For a body that completes one revolution, the angular speed =
Where T is the period fir the completion of one revolution of angle 2
But T = = 2f
Qusiton: Calculate the angular speed of the second hand of a clock.
 Conceptual reasoning
 Which of the ladybirds has the higher (i) linear
speed? (ii) angular speed?
 Question
• A vehicle’s tyre has radius of 0.5 m. The tyre
completes 20 revs per min. Calculate the
distance covered by the vehicle in 20 minutes.
Dynamics of Circular Motion
 Dynamics of Circular Motion
• A body in circular motion is accelerating
because its direction, hence, velocity, is
changing.
• This acceleration is directed towards the centre
of the circle. It is called radial/centripetal accel.
Newton’s second law for Circular Motion

• = ma, hence,
• The law is evaluated along the radius of the
circle, in the direction of the acceleration.
• As a convention, forces acting towards the
centre are positive while those acting away
from the centre are negative.
• Forces perpendicular to the radius do not
affect the circular motion.
 Note
• Centripetal force is not a type of force; it is a
role which can be played by any force.
Phenomenon
Electron revolving about a nucleus
Earth moving about the sun
A stone being whirled on a string
A ball being whirled in a bowl
A child running around on the ground
Centripetal force
Electrical attraction
Gravitational attraction
Tension in string
Normal reaction from bowl
Friction between feet and
the floor
 Example 1
Write Newton’s 2nd law for the object at each of the 4
positions in the
vertical circle.
At which point is the
object most likely to
fall?
 Example 3
An object of mass 38.6 N is swirled in a horizontal circle
on a string of length 2 m. If the angle made with the
vertical is 15 and the tension in the string is 40 N, find
the angular speed of the object.
Solution
 The story so far…
• The radian is the angle subtended by an arc length
equal to the radius.
• 360 = 2rads= 1 rev
• S = r, v = r w = 2f
• A body that moves along an arc experiences a
centripetal force towards the centre of the circle.
• Newton’s second law: Net force towards centre = =
m
GRAVITATION
 Learning Outcomes
• Define and use the formulae for gravitational
force, gravity, potential and potential energy.
• Show the variation of gravity and potential with
distance r from the centre of a mass.
• Relate gravitational force to centripetal force for
orbiting masses.
• Differentiate between polar and geostationary
satellites.
• Use energy conservation in a gravitational field.
 Gravitational Force (F)
Any two masses attract each other with a force F
which is
• Directly proportional to the product of their masses
• Inversely proportional to the square of their
separation R.
• F = G = universal gravitational constant
(G = 6.67 x …… Find the units).
Assumption: The bodies are point masses so their
radii r is negligible compared to their separation.
 Questions
Point masses: two masses such
their radii<<< their separation

Calculate the gravitational force between

(i) The Earth and the moon
, kg
r = 3.84 x km
 Uniform Gravitational field
Gravitational fields appear uniform near the
surface of the earth because the lines appear to
be parallel
 Gravitational field Strength (g)
• Gravitational field strength (g) is the
gravitational force (F) acting on a 1 kg mass.

Assuming m is in the field of M,

g of M = = = .
For a mass M and radius R,
g=. =
= , = g = KR

The gravitational field strength is proportional to

the mean density of a body.
• Calculate the gravitational field strength of the
earth: Earth
Mass 6.0 x kg
radius 6.4 x m

• The moon’s gravitational field strength is 1/6

that of the Earth. If the moon’s mass is 7.4 x
kg, find its radius.
(G = 6.67 x N)
 Variation of Gravity with distance
from centre of Earth.
• g varies linearly from the centre to the surface of a
planet.
 Variation of GFS Gravity with distance from
centre of Earth.
g varies with the inverse square of distance r from
surface.
Variation of g between two masses
g at any point between them is the algebraic
sum of the two opposing F/g at that point.
 Note
• At a point N, the opposing g are equal and
cancel out. This is the neutral point.
• Beyond the neutral point, forces have opposite
directions.
The graph decrease with towards neutral point.
Variation between two equal masses
Variation of g between two unequal masses
Variation of g between 2 unequal masses
Orbiting bodies
By Newton’s 3rd law, centripetal force is
reciprocal. Hence, the two bodies must be in
orbit.
• Two bodies in
• space orbit
• about their
• common centre of mass.
• The cenre of mass is always closer to the more
massive body.
• This creates the impression of one body
orbiting another.
 Orbiting bodies
• When a body m orbits another body M, the
centripetal force needed to maintain m in orbit is
provided by the gravitational attraction of between
M and m. Hence,
= mr.
• Knowing that , the period (T) can be found as a
function of orbital radius (r).
This expression is one of Kepler’s known as Kepler’s
laws: (.
Question
 Types of Satellites

Polar Geostationary
Weather studies Communication
Lower orbit Higher orbit
Orbits above poles Orbits above equator
Orbital period less than 24 hrs Orbital period equal to 24 hrs

What is the orbital period of a geostationary

satellite?
Gravitational Potential Energy
Removing electrons from an atom
 Gravitational potential Energy (GPE)
between points a and b
• GPE of M from a to b is the work done in bringing a
mass from a to b. inside the field of M
• GPE = = GMm ( -
For GPE at point P, a = G.P.E =
Work done is bringing a mass from infinity to point
P inside the field of M.
• Gravitational potential = =
• Negative because (i) GPE at is 0 (ii) Force is
attractive
 Question
Find the potential at a distance of 200 000 km
from the surface of the earth.
(G = 6.67 x N, = 6.0 x kg, 6.4 x
How much work needs to be done in bringing a
50 kg mass from infinity to this point?
 Equipotential Surfaces
These are points of equal radius, having the same
potential. An example is the contour line on a map.

Q: What is the GPE between two equipotential

surfaces?
 Variation of Gravitational Potential

• vares with the inverse of distance r, from

surface.
 Variation of for two bodies.
is the integral of F, hence, F is the differential
of .
At neutral point, the differential of (i.e. F) is 0.
At Neutral point, is maximum.
A graph of is negative and rises to a maximum at
neutral point.
The slope of the graph at any point is the gravity
(g).
Variation of between two bodies
• Calculate g at the point where the distance is 12 x .
• Hence find the force on a 5 kg mass at that point.
 GPE and Energy Conservation
• If body m moves from a point A to a point B in
the gravitational field of M, then, by the work
energy theorem,
• Work done = change in K.E.
-=
GMm (
• In finding the escape velocity of a body, we set
the second term to zero and find v.
 Escape Velocity
Imagine a body of mass m at the surface of the
earth, a distance of from the centre. We want to
project this body a = to a point where it escapes
earth’s pull (ie, G.P.E. = 0).
Usin g
-GM(
• The body is on the Earth’s surface so 6.4 x km.
• The body is moving outside the earth’s field so = 0.
• For the minimum speed needed, v = 0.
• = v = =11.2 km/s
• This is the escape velocity at the surface of the earth. At
this speed, a body will have enough energy to move out of
the Earth’s gravitational field.
 The Story so far…
For point masse m inside the field of M,
• F = ( F to Mm and inversely to
• g = (field strength is force per unit mass) g =
• GPE = (work done bringing m from to R
• (potential is G.P.E per unit mas) =
• The differential of is g.
• For m orbiting M, = mr. Centripetal effect of gravitational
force
• For m moving from and , GM(
Conservation of Energy in gravitational field
 GRAVITATIONAL FORCE ELECTRICAL FORCE

F= F=
For M orbiting m, = For q orbiting Q, = mr
mr
g= = E=
G.P.E = E.P.E =
= = V=
G.P.E = K.E: = -) .P.E = K.E: =-)