Centripetal Acceleration

- Debopam Bhattacharya
Driving a car or a cycle on a straight road is easy, but have ever thought why your
dad shouts when you make a sharp turn on a circular path ?

Why do you have to handle the steering wheel with a extra grip as you navigate a
curve ?
OR
Have you ever pondered why you were able to enjoy the merry-go-round as a child
?

Well, the answer is Centripetal Force and Centripetal Acceleration

 WHAT WE WILL LEARN IN THIS SLIDE ?

▪ Centripetal Force
▪ Centripetal Acceleration
 CENTRIPETAL FORCE

Suppose you and your friends are riding a cycle to the nearest
football ground.

On your path you experience a big circular curve, bravely you and
your friends continue on your path.
You all continue to pedal at a uniform speed and maintain a constant
speed. As you move along the circular path, the direction
continuously changes.
You wonder how you were able to easily cover the path ?

Well, the answer is hidden the physics of your motion

It is known as CENTRIPETAL FORCE
CENTRIPETAL FORCE

CENTRIPETAL FORCE – is that force which is required to move an object

in a circular path with constant speed and it acts on the object along the
radius of the circular path and towards the centre of the circular path.

F
v
F F

F v
Q. Can an object moving with constant speed have an acceleration ??

Yes, absolutely if it is changing it’s direction.

Q. Does a body in uniform circular motion has acceleration ?

Yes, and it is known as CENTRIPETAL ACCELERATION.

CENTRIPETAL ACCELERATION – is the acceleration produced in the

motion of object by centripetal force when they are moving in a circular
path.
 CENTRIPETAL ACCELERATION
Suppose superman whose mass is ‘m’ is moving on a
circular path of radius r with constant speed v. It
travels B to C in time Δt.
‘Velocity’ (not speed, it is velocity) changes from 𝑣1 to
𝑣2

Thus the change in velocity :

∆𝑣 = 𝑣2 − 𝑣1

∆𝑣 = 𝑣22 + 𝑣12 − 2𝑣1 𝑣2 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃

∆𝑣 = 𝑣 2 + 𝑣 2 − 2𝑣 2 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃
 ∆𝑣 = 2𝑣 2 [1 − 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃]
{ sin ^2(x) = 1/2 - 1/2 cos(2x) }
𝜃
∆𝑣 = 2𝑣𝑠𝑖𝑛( )
2
If s is the distance travelled from B to C
𝑠 = 𝑟𝜃
𝑠 𝑟𝜃
∆𝑡 = =
𝑣 𝑣

Thus the centripetal acceleration is given by,

∆𝑣
𝑎𝑐 =
∆𝑡

𝜃
2𝑣𝑠𝑖𝑛 2
𝑎𝑐 =
𝑟𝜃
𝑣
 𝜃
𝑣 2 sin 2
𝑎𝑐 =
𝜃
𝑟2
If θ is very small , then
𝜃 𝜃
sin =
2 2

CENTRIPETAL ACCELERATION IS
𝑣2
𝑎𝑐 =
𝑟

CENTRIPETAL FORCE IS

𝑚𝑣 2
𝐹𝑐 =
𝑟
Q. What is the magnitude of the centripetal acceleration
of a car following a curve, see figure below, of radius
500 m at a speed of 25 m/s—about 90 km/hr? Compare
the acceleration with that due to gravity for this fairly
gentle curve taken at highway speed.
THANK YOU

Debopam Bhattacharya

debopamhappy@gmail.com