circular motion Lab
Go to: https://phet.colorado.edu and search for "Ladybug Revolution" click the simulation to
launch it.
Before starting anything, place your lady bug in the purple region of the disc and move your
beetle to the purple section as well.
In the "Angular Velocity" box, type in 180. As you watch the simulation, feel free to pause it to
take a closer look while you answer your questions.
Questions:
1) What do you notice about the ladybug's acceleration vector in comparison to the beetle's ac-
celeration vector?
Both the beetle and the lady bug's acceleration vector is pointing at the
center of the circle.
2) What do you notice about the ladybug's velocity vector in comparison to the beetle's velocity
vector?
The ladybug and beetle's velocity vectors point towards the side the circle is
turning, counterclockwise in this case. Both vectors are the same size.
3) What direction is your centripetal acceleration vector pointing for the ladybug?
The centripetal acceleration vector for the ladybug is pointing towards the center of the circle.
4) What direction is your centripetal acceleration vector pointing for the beetle?
The centripetal acceleration vector for the beetle is pointing towards the center of the circle.
Click "Reset All." Then, place your lady bug in the purple region of the disc and move your bee-
tle to the pink section.
In the "Angular Velocity" box, type in 180. As you watch the simulation, feel free to pause it to
take a closer look while you answer your questions.
Questions:
1) What do you notice about the ladybug's acceleration vector in comparison to the beetle's ac-
celeration vector?
The ladybug's acceleration vector is smaller compared to the acceleration
vector of the beetle.
2) What do you notice about the ladybug's velocity vector in comparison to the beetle's velocity
vector?
The ladybug's velocity vector is smaller in comparison to the beetle's velocity vector.
3) What direction is your centripetal acceleration vector pointing for the ladybug and beetle?
The centripetal acceleration vector is still pointing towards the center of the circle for both the
ladybug and the beetle.
4) What do you notice about the ladybug's acceleration vector in comparison to the beetle's?
Since the beetle is far away from the circle compared to the ladybug, it will have a greater centripetal acceleration
because of the bigger radius. (it is shown in the experiment as the beetle has a much larger vector.
Application Questions:
1. The ladybug and beetle are traveling on a radius of 4 m. They have a tangential velocity of
12.56 m/s.
A) If the ladybug has a mass of 0.004 kg, what is the centripetal acceleration of the ladybug?
39.4 m/s²
B) If the beetle has a mass of 0.02 kg, what is the centripetal acceleration of the beetle?
39.4 m/s²
Does mass have an impact on centripetal acceleration?
No, the mass does not seem to affect the centripetal acceleration. The equation does not have
space for the mas to be substituted.
D) If the ladybug has a mass of 0.004 kg, what is the centripetal force of the ladybug?
0.158 N
E) If the beetle has a mass of 0.02 kg, what is the centripetal force of the beetle?
0.788 N
2) In the second trial, which bug had the larger tangential velocity? How do you know?
The beetle had the larger tangent velocity as it was further away from the center.
The equation "v = w r" shows that the (w) is the same for both and the (r) radius is different.
3) In the second trial, which bug traveled a larger distance?
The beetle travelled a larger distance as it was placed farther away from the center of the circle.
It can be proved by "2 pi r". When the radius increases the circumference increases as well.
