Uniform Circular Motion

• Zigzag road • Motion along curved

path is called curvilinear
motion.
• Circular motion is one
type of curvilinear
motion. It is the motion
of a body along a circle.
• An object in circular
motion constantly
changes its direction.
• At all instances, the
object is moving
tangent to the circle.
• The change in direction
of velocity Δv is directed
toward the center of
the circle.
• Thus, the acceleration
also points toward the
same direction.
• If the object is moving
at constant speed, it is
said to be undergoing
uniform circular
motion.
• To maintain uniform
circular motion, a
constant inward force is
needed.
• Since force and
acceleration always
point in the same
direction, the tug
applied on an object in
uniform circular motion
is perpendicular to the
direction of motion.
• Such a force is referred
to as centripetal force,
Fc.
• The acceleration it
produces is called
centripetal acceleration
or ac.
T
• The speed of any particle in uniform circular
motion is expressed as

• The acceleration of an object moving in a

circle of radius r with speed v is called
centripetal acceleration, ac.
or
• The centripetal force is expressed as
 Sample Problems
1. An object is whirled at the end of a string in a
horizontal circle. If the period of one
revolution is 1.18 s, and the length of the
string is 0.93 m, find the centripetal
acceleration of the object.
2. In the previous problem, find the velocity of
the object at the end of the string.
3. David whirls a slingshot above his head. The
sling is 1.0 m long and the stone at its end has a
mass of 400 g. David can make the rock move
uniformly in a circle over his head at a speed of
5.0 m/s.
a. What is the tension on the sling?
b. If David keeps this up, how many times
does the rock complete a circle in 1 min?
4. A 0.2 kg metal ball is tied to a string 0.6 m
long. If the breaking strength of the string is
66.74 N, then determine
a. the maximum speed with which the
metal ball can be whirled in a horizontal circle
and
b. the magnitude of the acceleration of the
metal ball when the string is at its breaking
speed.
Complete the statement below:
1. ____________ is the time it takes an object to
make one complete revolution.
2. ____________ is the number of revolutions
completed by an object in a given time.
3. ____________ is an inward force that causes
the object to be pulled or accelerated toward
the circle’s center.
4. ___________ is the acceleration caused by the
centripetal force on the object in circular
motion.
5. An object moving in uniform circular motion has a
constant _________ but not in constant
__________.
6. A little girl is playing with her foot jump. The time
it takes the ball in the foot jump to make one
complete revolution is 0.2 s.
a. If the length of the plastic cord that holds the
ball is 0.87 m, then what is the speed of the ball?
b. If the ball has a mass of 4 g, then how much
force is acting on the ball to keep it in uniform
circular motion?
7. An object that moves in uniform circular
motion has a centripetal acceleration of 13 m/s2.
If the radius of the motion is 0.02 m, what is the
frequency of the motion?
8. A race car moving at a constant tangential
speed of 60 m/s, takes one lap around a circular
track in 50 s. Determine the magnitude of the
acceleration of the car.