Younes

Sina

Chapter 5

Uniform Circular Motion

he SI unit of Angle.
an of angle is the central angle in any circle which opposite arc is
us of that circle.

Example : Naming3.14 rdas "", calculate angles

360o, 180o, 90o, 60o, 45o, and 30oin terms of.
Fraction:

1fullcircle

1/2circle 1/4circle

Degrees:

360o

180o

Radians:

2=6.28rd

360 D
2

.D
R
180

1/6circle

1/8circle

1/12circle

90o

60o

45o

30o

/2

/3

/4

/6

Arc Length-Central Angle Formula:

There is an easy formula that relates any central
angle () to its
opposite arc (S) and the radius (r) of a circle.
This formula is
valid only if the central angle is measured or
expressed in radians.

le : Referring to the following figure, suppose

48oand R = 1.25 in. Calculate the length of ar

Solution:
Using S = R and converting degrees
to radians
yields:S =(1.25 in.)(148o)(3.14rd /
180o)=3.23 in.

Angular Speed ( ):
Angular speed () is defined as the
change in angle per unit of
time.Mathematically, it may be written as
= / t.
The preferred unit for angular speed
isrd /s.
The commercial unit is (rpm) or revolutions
per minute.
Note that each revolution is 6.28=(2)
radians.

e :A car tire spins at 240 rpm.

e
ngular speed inrd /s
angle that any of its radii sweeps in 44 seconds, and
arc-length that any point on its outer edge travels during t
g that R = 14 in.

Solution:240 rpmis
(a) All we need to do

the angular speed ().

is to convert it fromrpmtord/s

Note: 1 rev = 6.28 rd

1min = 60 sec
= 240 (rev / min) = 240 (6.28 rd / 60sec) =25
rd/sec

(b) = / t
= . t
=( 25 rd/sec)(44 sec)
= 1100 rd
(c)s= R
s= ( 14 in)(1100 rd) = 15400 in=1283 ft =0.24 miles

Linear Speed - Angular Speed Formula:

The same waySandare related, we have a
formula that relatesvto.
v= R
Writing these two similar formulas together
helps their recall.
s= R andv= R
Derivation:
All you need to do is todivide both sides ofs=
Rby t
S/t = R/t
v=S/t [distance over time]
=(/t) is,angle swept over time
v= R

:The radius of a car tire is 14 in. Calculate

near speed (v) of any point on its outer edge if it spins at an ang
f 25 rd/sec.
the linear distance (arc length) that any such point travels in 44

=25 rd/sec

Solution:
(a) v= R
v= (14 in)(25 rd/sec) =350 in/sec
(b)s = vt
s =(350 in/sec)(44 sec) =15400 in
Note: In (b)equationx=(1/2)at2+ vitis used
where
a = 0andxis replaced bys.
This is because the arc length on the tire is like a
long string wrapped around it and as the car
moves, it leaves the unwrapped string on the
ground as a straight line for which equation
x = V t ors = V tis valid.

niform Circular Motion

particle of mass M moves along a circular path at aconstant rpm

ions per minute), its motion is called the"uniform circular motio

Period of Rotation (T):

The time it takes for the particle (mass M) to
make one full turn is called the "period of
rotation."
Tis the same thing as"seconds per turn.
Frequency (f): The number of turns per unit of
time (usually per second) is called the
frequency of rotation.
(f)is the same thing as"turns per second.

T = 1/f
f = 1/T

xample :A wheel is turning at 2 turns per second.

alculate the time for each turn or simply its period.

Solution: It is clear that each turn is

made in (1/2)s:
T = (1/2)s

f=2

If the frequency(f)is 3 per

second, the time of each turn or
(T) is T = (1/3)s.

linear speed (v)in a circular motion

x 2R
v
t
T

mple :A car tire is spinning at a constant

60 rpm when the car's linear speed is 22
g the road. Determine
he frequency of rotation of the tire
he period of rotation
he radius of the tire
: = 3.14

x 2R
v
t
T

Sun once per

year (as we know). Calculate the linear
speed of
the Earth as it goes around the Sun.
The average
distance between the two is 150
million kilometers.
Suppose the orbit is a perfect circle
although it is not.

x 2R
v
t
T
Solution:
R=150,000,000 km
T= 1 year
Using the above formula:
V = ( 2R) / T
V= ( 2)(150,000,000km) / (365 x 24 x
3600s)
V= 30km/s= 19mi/s

The Relation Between ( f ) and ( ):

= 2 f
f is the # of turns per second
the # of radians per second
( 1turn = 2radians)

Example :Solve the previous

problem using
= 2 f andv= R.

Solution:
= 2 f
= 2 (1turn / year)
= 2 /year
v= R
v= ( 150,000,000km) ( 2 /year )
=30 km/s

Speedin circular motioncan be kept constant.

Velocity is never constantin circular motion,because its
direction keeps changing.
Speed is constant only for uniform circular motion of a
particle.
As an example, when you turn a ceiling fan on, for a while, it
is speeding up and
therefore accelerating. During the acceleration phase, the
motion is NOT uniform.
When the fan reaches its maximum rpm, then each particle
(or point) of it will
have its own constant speed along its own circle of rotation.

In circular motion, there aretwo typesof acceleration:

"tangential acceleration"and"centripetal acceleration.
Tangentialacceleration (at) is the result of thechange
in the speed of the object. In uniform circular motion
where speed is constant, the tangential acceleration is
zero.
Centripetalacceleration (ac) is the result of thechange
in the direction of velocityof the object. This
acceleration isnever zero,because the change in
direction is an ongoing process, in circular motion. The
following figure shows two wheels:one spinning at
constant rpm, and one at an increasing rpm. For the
left wheelat= 0, and for the right wheel,at0.
However, for both wheelsac0. Whether the wheel is
turning at constant rpm or not, the centripetal
acceleration is never zero.

centripetal
acceleration:
2
a
=
v
ple:A tiny rock is caught
in /R
the treads of a car
c

ng at 420 rpm on a wheel balancing machine.

dius of the tire is 0.35m.
ate the centripetal acceleration given to the ro
g it to travel circularly.

Solution:
f means rev per second
f = 420 (rev / min)= 420(rev / 60s)=7.0
rev/s
= 2 f
= 2 ( 7.0 rev / s) = 44 rd /s
v= R
v=(0.35m)(44 rd/s)= 15.4 m/s
ac=v2/ R
ac=[15.4(m/s)]2/0.35m= 680 m/s2

:A car has a centripetal acceleration of 2.3 m/s2as it travels al

portion of a road. The road has a radius of curvature of 250 m.
g that the linear speed of the car is constant, determine
near speed
ngular speed
ngle it travels in 6.0 s
raction of the circle it travels during this period.
view of the circular motion of the car is shown.

V=
?
=
?

=?
s=
?

Solution:

V=
?
=
?

=?
s=
?

(a)ac= v2/R
acR = v2
v =(acR)1/2
v = [2.3(m/s2)x
250m]1/2=24m/s
(b)v = R
v/R =
=24(m/s)/250m
=0.096 rd/s
(c) = /t
= t
=(0.096 rd/s)(6.0s) =0.576
rd
(d)Each circle is 2 =6.28 rd
fraction =0.576 rd /6.28
rd=0.092 =9.2%

forcedto do otherwise. When an object is moving along a

circle, it isforcedto have that circular path. The force pulls
or pushes the object toward the center of rotation. That is
why it is called the "centripetal force, Fc." When you tie a
rock to a string and spin it above your head in a horizontal
plane, your hand is constantly pulling the rock (via the
string) toward your fingers that is the center of rotation. If
you let go of the string,the centripetal force is eliminated
and the rock will no longer follow that circular
path;therefore,the cause of circular motion is the
centripetal force, the force that pulls the object toward the
center of rotation, no matter where the object is in its
circular path. An object of massMthat has a centripetal
acceleration,ac, along its circular path is therefore under a
force of
Fc= Mac. The formula forcentripetal forcebecomes:

centripetal force

Fc= Mv2/ R

Example :A rock of mass 0.22 kg is attached to

a string of length 0.43 m and is given a circular
motion in a horizontal plane at a rate of 180
rpm.
Calculate the centripetal force that the string
exerts on the rock pulling it nonstop toward the
center of rotation. Draw a circle and
showM,V,R, andFcon itas shown above.

Solution:
=180 rev / min = 180( 6.28 rd /
60s) =18.84 rd/s
v= R
v=(0.43m)(18.84 rd/s) =8.1 m/s
Fc= Mv2/ R
Fc=0.22kg(8.1 m/s)2/0.43m =34N

Motion of a Car Along a

Curved Road
Roads that are engineered (banked) provide a tilt
(bank) in any of their curved portions that
protects vehicles from slipping off the road
specially under icy conditions. The tilt in a curved
portion allows vehicles to safely have a greater
speed along that portion compared to an un-tilted
or un-banked portion of the same radius of
curvature.

In case of unbanked road, the vehicle relies

completely on friction.

W=N=
M.g
a=
v2/R
Fc
=Fs

MV

V2=sg
R

N
s

MV
R

Mg
s

g
s

In caseof a banked road the vehicle relies completely on

the road's tilt and not on friction at all.

tan
()=Fc/W

V2=Rg.tan
() 2

MV

tan( )

R
Mg

MV

V
MgR
Rg

e :A car can negotiate an un-banked curve of radius

mum speed of 66 km/h before the danger for slipping i
ine the coefficient of friction that exists between its t
road.

R=55
m

V=66
km/h

s =
?

V2=s
gR

Solution:
v= 66 km/h ( 1000m / km )( 1h /
3600s )=18.3 m/s
v2=sR g
s =v2/R g
s =(18.3m/s)2/ (55m X 9.8m/s2) =0.62

e :A car can travel along a banked curve of radius 12

um speed of 45 km/h without relying on friction.
ine the angle of the tilt of the road along this curve.

R=125
m

V=45
km/h

V2=Rg.tan
()

Solution:
V =45km/h =45000m / 3600s
=12.5 m/s
tan= V2/ Rg
tan=12.52/ (125x9.8) =
0.128
= 7.3o

Homework :
problems 1, 2, 3, and 5
chapter 5