Circular Motion Flashcards
What is angular velocity?
The rate of change of the angle.
What causes objects to travel in a circular path?
A force that is always acting perpendicular to the object’s direction of motion.
What is the name for the force that causes objects to travel in a circular path?
A centripetal force.
What direction does the centripetal acceleration of an object moving in a circle act?
Towards the centre of the circle.
What force acts as the centripetal force for a car travelling in a circle?
The friction between the tyres and the road.
What force acts as the centripetal force for an object being spun on the end of a string?
The tension in the string.
What force acts as the centripetal force for a satellite orbiting the Earth?
The gravitational force towards the Earth.
How many radians are there in a complete circle?
2pi
What is the time period of an object travelling in a circle?
The time it takes to complete one full revolution.
What is the frequency of an object travelling in a circle?
The number of revolutions it completes in one second.
In the whirling bung experiment, what is the weight on the bottom of the tube equal to?
The centripetal force acting on the bung.
