Lesson 3.

Uniform Circular
Motion
 describe the motion of
Objectives 1 objects moving in a
circular path; and
At the end
of the
lesson, you calculate the velocity of
should be 2 an object moving in a
able to: uniform circular
motion.
What are the characteristics of an
object moving in a circular path?
 Learn about It!

Circular motions that repeat itself are the common

examples. They include planets orbiting the Sun or the
moon orbiting Earth, a horse in a moving carousel, and any
object tied to a rope or string and being swung in circles.
Any object moving along a circular path
at a constant speed is said to be moving
in uniform circular motion.
 Learn about It!

An object does not need to

complete a circle for it to be
considered traveling in a
uniform circular motion.
Vehicles that are simply
turning to the left or to the
right at an intersection also
traverse a circular path.
 Learn about It!

Speed and Velocity in Uniform Circular Motion

While the speed of an object in a

uniform circular motion is
constant, its direction changes at
each point in its path. Meaning,
its velocity is not constant. Its
velocity is always tangent to its
position along the circular path.
 Learn about It!

The speed of an object in a uniform circular motion is

constant. The circular path may be an entire circle or just a
part of a circle.
 Learn about It!

In its general form, velocity is just the displacement (distance

with direction) traveled divided by time. It is mathematically
defined as:

where v is the velocity in meter per seconds (m/s), s is the arc

length or the distance along the circular path in meters (m),
and t is the time it took to traverse the arc length in seconds
(s).
 Learn about It!

From elementary geometry, the circumference of a circle is

given by the following formula:

where C is the circumference and r is the radius.

 Learn about It!

Suppose an object traveled an entire circle in an amount of

time t. The formula for velocity is now,

Substituting , you will get,

 Learn about It!

where r is the radius in meters (m) and t is the time the object
took to travel the entire circle in seconds (s). However, this
formula is only applicable if the object in motion traveled a
complete circle.
 Learn about It!

The time it takes to travel the entire circle is referred as the

period, denoted by T. Hence, the equation for velocity can be
rewritten as:
 Try it!

What is the speed of a wooden horse on a carousel, 2.5 m

away from its center, if the carousel completes a turn
every 30 seconds?
 Try it! Solution

What is the speed of a wooden horse on a carousel, 2.5 m

away from its center, if the carousel completes a turn
every 30 seconds?

Step 1: Identify what is required to find in the problem.

You are asked to find the speed (v) of the wooden horse.
 Try it! Solution

What is the speed of a wooden horse on a carousel, 2.5 m

away from its center, if the carousel completes a turn
every 30 seconds?

Step 2: Identify the given in the problem.

The radius of the circle, as well as the time it takes to complete a

turn, are given.
 Try it! Solution

What is the speed of a wooden horse on a carousel, 2.5 m

away from its center, if the carousel completes a turn
every 30 seconds?
Step 3: Write the working equation.
 Try it! Solution

What is the speed of a wooden horse on a carousel, 2.5 m

away from its center, if the carousel completes a turn
every 30 seconds?
Step 4: Substitute the given values.
 Try it! Solution

What is the speed of a wooden horse on a carousel, 2.5 m

away from its center, if the carousel completes a turn
every 30 seconds?
Step 5: Find the answer.

Therefore, the speed of the wooden horse is 0.52 m/s.

 Tips

In solving for unknown quantities, remember to:

● Check for the consistency of units; and

● Isolate the unknown quantity on one side of the equation
before substituting the given values.
Key Points

Uniform circular motion involves objects moving on

1
circular path with constant speed.

The velocity of an object moving on circular path

2
varies due to the change in direction as it turns.
 Check Your Understanding

Solve the following problems. Show your pertinent

solution.
1. A ball attached to a string is rotated about a circle with a
radius of 0.8 m. Find its velocity if it completes 1 revolution
in 0.5 seconds.
2. A roller coaster traveled a loop on its track for 10 seconds.
Calculate its velocity if the radius of the track is 9.00 m.
3. A jogger completes a quarter of a turn around an oval in 3
minutes. Find the velocity of the jogger if the oval has a
radius of 150 m.
 Challenge Yourself

Suppose you have a pail of water which can be

whirled in the air in a circular path. What happens to
the water in the pail as it goes upside down? Why do
you think this happened?
 Bibliography
Crisostomo, R. M. and Padua A. L. 2011. Laboratory Manual and Workbook in Physics. Quezon City: Vibal
Publishing House, Inc.

Giancoli, Douglas C. 2007. Physics: Principles With Applications (6th ed). Jurong, Singapore: Pearson Education,
Inc.

Hewitt, Paul G. 1987. Conceptual Physics. United States of America: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company Inc.

Institute of Physics. "TAP 224- 1: Demonstrations involving circular motion." Teaching Advanced Physics.
Accessed April 12, 2017. https://tap.iop.org/mechanics/circular/224/file_46480.doc

Santisteban, Celeste Joan C. 2007. Breaking Through Physics. Quezon City: C&E Publishing Inc.

The Physics Classroom. “Mathematics of Circular Motion”. Accessed April 12, 2017.
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/circles/Lesson-1/Mathematics-of-Circular-Motion

The Physics Classroom. “Free Fall and Air Resistance”. Accessed May 13, 2017.
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/newtlaws/Lesson-3/Free-Fall-and-Air-Resistance