5.6 circular motion

Question 1

describe the characteristics of uniform circular motion

Answer 1

• velocity is always changing, acceleration
• acceleration is perpendicular to velocity

Question 2

using newton’s law of motion, explain why a body moving with uniform circular motion must experience a force towards the centre of the circle

Answer 2

for a body moving with uniform speed in a circle, its direction if motion changes constantly with time, thus its velocity is always changing. by newton’s first law, a force must be acting on it. since the change in motion at every instant is directed to the centre of the circle, the acceleration and hence, by newton’s second law, the force must be directed towards the centre of the circle