Horizontal circular motion
0/2
Examples
Lessons
- Ball on horizontal string moving in circular motion
A 0.525 kg ball is attached to a 1.25 m string and swings in a circular path, making 2.00 revolutions per second. The angle of the string is nearly horizontal. Find the tension in the string.
- Ball on angled string in horizontal circular motion
A 0.525 kg ball is attached to a 1.25 m string and swings in a circular path. The angle of the string away from vertical is 30.0°. Find the centripetal force acting on the ball and the speed of the ball.
Free to Join!
StudyPug is a learning help platform covering math and science from grade 4 all the way to second year university. Our video tutorials, unlimited practice problems, and step-by-step explanations provide you or your child with all the help you need to master concepts. On top of that, it's fun — with achievements, customizable avatars, and awards to keep you motivated.
Easily See Your Progress
We track the progress you've made on a topic so you know what you've done. From the course view you can easily see what topics have what and the progress you've made on them. Fill the rings to completely master that section or mouse over the icon to see more details.Make Use of Our Learning Aids
Earn Achievements as You Learn
Make the most of your time as you use StudyPug to help you achieve your goals. Earn fun little badges the more you watch, practice, and use our service.Create and Customize Your Avatar
Play with our fun little avatar builder to create and customize your own avatar on StudyPug. Choose your face, eye colour, hair colour and style, and background. Unlock more options the more you use StudyPug.
Topic Notes
In this lesson, we will learn:
Notes:
Centripetal Acceleration
- Meaning of uniform circular motion
- Solving problems involving horizontal circular motion
Notes:
- An object moving in a circular path is in circular motion. If the speed of the object is constant, it is uniform circular motion.
- An object in uniform circular motion does experience acceleration, even though its speed is constant. Remember, acceleration is change in velocity, and a velocity is made up of speed and direction. For the object to move in a circle, the direction of its velocity must change constantly. This change in direction is the acceleration, called centripetal acceleration ("centripetal" means "towards the center"). For an object moving in a circular path, the centripetal acceleration vector is always pointed towards the center of the circle.
- Like any other type of acceleration, centripetal acceleration is caused by a force (called centripetal force). The centripetal force vector also always points towards the center of the circle.
- In order for an object to be moving in a circular path, the net force acting on the object must be a centripetal force (a force that always is pointed towards the center). When multiple forces act on an object in circular motion, those forces must add up to a centripetal force. It is important to understand that centripetal force is not a separate force that acts on an object. It is a net force which follows a specific rule: it always points towards the center of the circular path.
- In a horizontal circular motion problem, any forces acting on the object in the vertical direction must balance so that ΣFvertical=0N (otherwise the object would accelerate vertically). Only horizontal forces will contribute to the net force causing circular motion.
T=#ofrevolutionstotaltime
f=totaltime#ofrevolutions
T=f1
T: period, in seconds (s)
f: frequency, in hertz (Hz)
Centripetal Acceleration
ac=rv2=T24π2r
ac: centripetal acceleration, in meters per second squared (m/s2)
v: velocity, in meters per second (m/s)
r: radius, in meters (m)
T: period, in seconds (s)
2
videos
remaining today
remaining today
5
practice questions
remaining today
remaining today