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class="gray">Circular motion</span></li> <span class="pull-right" style="color: #555" title="Suggested study time: 10 minutes"><i class="fa fa-clock-o"></i> 10&apos;</span> </ol> <article id="main-article"> <p><img alt="" src="../../circular-motion/1-laundry-sm-1.jpg" style="float: left; width: 250px; height: 167px;">We have all experienced circular motion. Here are some common thoughts among students...</p> <p><img class="sibico" src="../../../img/sibico/quiz.svg" style="height:1.25em;width: auto;vertical-align:text-bottom" title="Quiz">&nbsp;If your speed is constant how can you be accelerating?</p> <button class="btn btn-xs bg-turquoise showhider"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-plus"></i></button><section class="hiddenbox hidden">Velocity is a vector quantity. Anything travelling in a circular path is changing direction and, therefore, accelerating. A resultant force is required.</section> <p><img class="sibico" src="../../../img/sibico/quiz.svg" style="height:1.25em;width: auto;vertical-align:text-bottom" title="Quiz">&nbsp;When you move in a circle it feels like you are being thrown out. So how do you stay in your seat?</p> <button class="btn btn-xs bg-turquoise showhider"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-plus"></i></button><section class="hiddenbox hidden">The forces in circular motion act towards the centre of the circle. The sensation of being &#39;flung outwards&#39; comes from your inertia relative to the system.</section> <p><img class="sibico" src="../../../img/sibico/quiz.svg" style="height:1.25em;width: auto;vertical-align:text-bottom" title="Quiz">&nbsp;If too many people join me on a roller coaster will we all fall to our death on the loop the loop?</p> <button class="btn btn-xs bg-turquoise showhider"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-plus"></i></button><section class="hiddenbox hidden">This would affect the total mass of the body, which in turn affects the kinetic energy required to make it round. Take a look at the following pages to find out!</section> <hr class="hidden-separator"> <div class="panel panel-turquoise panel-has-colored-body"> <div class="panel-heading"> <div> <p>Key Concepts</p> </div> </div> <div class="panel-body"> <div> <p>Rather than considering displacement, velocity and time, in this topic we will consider the angular equivalents. It is helpful to recall that circular motion is&nbsp;<em>periodic</em>, which means it repeats in cycles.</p> <h4 style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="../../../ib/physics/activities/cm1.png" style="width: 257px; height: 233px;"></h4> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Time period (T)</strong> = time for one complete circle. Unit: s</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Frequency (f) </strong>= number of complete circles per second (<span class="math-tex">\(1\over T\)</span>). Unit: Hz (s<sup>-1</sup>)</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Angular displacement (&theta;)</strong> = angle swept out in radians. Unit: rad</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Angular velocity (&omega;)</strong> = angle swept out per unit time. Unit: rad s<sup>-1</sup>&nbsp;</p> <p>This could be a good time to revisit&nbsp;<a href="../267/radians.html" title="Radians">Radians</a>.</p> <p>Small angle approximation: Angle in radians = arc length/radius (<span class="math-tex">\(s \over r\)</span>). However,&nbsp;if the angle is small this is approximately the same as the chord length/radius.</p> </div> </div> <div class="panel-footer"> <div>&nbsp;</div> </div> </div> <div class="panel panel-has-colored-body panel-yellow"> <div class="panel-heading"><a class="expander" href="#"><span class="fa fa-plus"></span></a> <div> <p>Essentials</p> </div> </div> <div class="panel-body"> <div> <p><strong>Speed</strong> (distance / time) is related to the angular velocity.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span class="math-tex">\(v={2\pi r \over T}=\omega r\)</span></p> <p>Note that the units are now satisfactory (it&#39;s ok to ignore radians).</p> <p>The <strong>centripetal&nbsp;force</strong> is the <em>resultant force </em>acting towards the centre that makes a body travel in a circle.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span class="math-tex">\(F=m \omega^2 r={mv^2 \over r}\)</span></p> <p><img class="sibico" src="../../../img/sibico/exam-style.svg" style="height:1.25em;width: auto;vertical-align:text-bottom" title="Exam-style question">&nbsp;Note that, if you are asked to name the force that is acting on an object, it will not be the &#39;centripetal force&#39;. This is simply the consequence of the combination of the other forces at play.</p> <p>In everyday speech, we might refer to a &#39;centrifugal force&#39; as flinging objects outward. In fact, this does not exist and instead is an effect of the absence of sufficient force&nbsp;while the system turns the corner. Relative motion does not always require a force on both objects.</p> </div> </div> <div class="panel-footer"> <div>&nbsp;</div> </div> </div> <div class="panel panel-has-colored-body panel-green"> <div class="panel-heading"><a class="expander" href="#"><span class="fa fa-plus"></span></a> <div> <p>Test Yourself</p> </div> </div> <div class="panel-body"> <div> <p><em>Use&nbsp;flashcards&nbsp;to practise your recall.</em></p> <div class="tib-flashcard"><a class="show-flashcards btn btn-success btn-xs-block btn-block " data-levels="1" data-mode="Normal" data-topics="517" data-subject-id="6" data-n-flashcards="6" style="text-align:center">Show flashcards</a></div><hr> </div> </div> <div class="panel-footer"> <div>&nbsp;</div> </div> </div> <div class="panel panel-has-colored-body panel-red"> <div class="panel-heading"><a class="expander" href="#"><span class="fa fa-plus"></span></a> <div> <p>Just for Fun</p> </div> </div> <div class="panel-body"> <div> <p><em>Check out this&nbsp;&pi;g physics summary.</em></p> <div class="video-embed vimeo"><iframe allow="accelerometer; 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