Uniform Circular Motion Flashcards
What is uniform circular motion?
Uniform circular motion can be described as the motion of an object along a circumference at a constant speed.
What is centripetal acceleration?
the centripetal acceleration is what turns the velocity vector to keep the object traveling in a circle. The magnitude of the centripetal acceleration depends on the object’s velocity and radius.
Centripetal Acceleration = Velocity^2/ Radius
a = v^2/r
What is angular velocity?
Angular velocity is the rate of change in the angular position of a rotating body.
Angular Velocity = Change in the Angle/ Change in Time
w = Δθ/Δt
How to calculate the speed of an object in a circular path?
To calculate the speed of an object in a circular path, you can divide the circumference by the change in time or multiply the angular velocity by the radius.
Speed = Arclegnth/ Change in time or Speed = Angular Velocity x radius
Speed = S/Δt or Speed = wr
What is a period?
A period is the time required for one revolution.
Period = 1/ Frequency or Period = 2pi/ Angular Velocity
T = 1/f or T = 2π/w
What is frequency?
Frequency is the number of revolutions per second for a rotating object.
Frequency = 1/T
What is a centripetal force?
Centripetal force is the direction towards the center of a circular path, causing a change in direction.
Centripetal force = Mass x Centripetal Acceleration
Fc = m x v^2/r
Why does the velocity not stay constant during uniform circular motion?
Velocity is a vector quantity therefore it has both magnitude and direction. When an object is traveling around a circumference its direction is always changing therefore the velocity is not constant.
