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DP IB Physics: SL Your notes

6.1 Circular Motion

Contents
6.1.1 Circular Motion
6.1.2 Centripetal Force
6.1.3 Centripetal Acceleration
6.1.4 Applications of Circular Motion

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6.1.1 Circular Motion

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Properties of Circular Motion
For an object moving in a circle, it will have the following properties:
Period
Frequency
Angular displacement
Angular velocity
These properties can be inferred from the properties of objects moving in a straight line combined with
the geometry of a circle
Motion in a Straight Line
When an object moves in a straight line at a constant speed its motion can be described as follows:
The object moves at a constant velocity, v
Constant velocity means zero acceleration, a
Newton's First Law of motion says the object will continue to travel in a straight line at a constant
speed unless acted on by another force
Newton's Second Law of motion says for zero acceleration that there is no net or resultant force
For example, an ice hockey puck moving across a flat frictionless ice rink

An ice puck moving in a straight line

Motion in a Circle
If one end of a string was attached to the puck, and the other attached to a fixed point, it would no
longer travel in a straight line, it would begin to travel in a circle

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Your notes

The red arrows represent the velocity vectors of the puck. If the string were cut, the puck would move
off in the direction shown by the red vector, as predicted by Newton’s first law.
The motion of the puck can now be described as follows:
As the puck moves it stretches the string a little to a length r
The stretched string applies a force to the puck pulling it so that it moves in a circle of radius r
around the fixed point
The force acts at 90° to the velocity so there is no force component in the direction of velocity
As a result, the magnitude of the velocity is constant
However, the direction of the velocity changes
As it starts to move in a circle the tension of the string continues to pull the puck at 90° to the velocity
The speed does not change, hence, this is called uniform circular motion

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Your notes

The applied force (tension) from the string causes the puck to move with uniform circular motion
Time Period & Frequency
If the circle has a radius r, then the distance through which the puck moves as it completes one rotation
is equal to the circumference of the circle = 2πr
The speed of the puck is therefore equal to:

Where:
r = the radius of the circle (m)
T = the time period (s)
This is the same as the time period in waves and simple harmonic motion (SHM)
The frequency, f, can be determined from the equation:

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Your notes

Angles in Radians
A radian (rad) is defined as:
The angle subtended at the centre of a circle by an arc equal in length to the radius of the
circle

When the angle is equal to one radian, the length of the arc (S) is equal to the radius (r) of the circle
Radians are commonly written in terms of π
The angle in radians for a complete circle (360°) is equal to:

Use the following equation to convert from degrees to radians:

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Table of common degrees to radians conversions

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Angular Displacement
In circular motion, it is more convenient to measure angular displacement in units of radians rather than
units of degrees
Angular displacement is defined as:
The change in angle, in radians, of a body as it rotates around a circle
This can be summarised in equation form:

Where:
Δθ = angular displacement, or angle of rotation (radians)
S = length of the arc, or the distance travelled around the circle (m)
r = radius of the circle (m)
Note: both distances must be measured in the same units e.g. metres

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Your notes

An angle in radians, subtended at the centre of a circle, is the arc length divided by the radius of the
circle
Angular Speed
Any object rotating with a uniform circular motion has a constant speed but constantly changing
velocity
Its velocity is changing so it is accelerating
But at the same time, it is moving at a constant speed
The angular speed, ⍵, of a body in circular motion is defined as:
The rate of change in angular displacement with respect to time
Angular speed is a scalar quantity and is measured in rad s–1

The angular speed does not depend on the length of the line AB
The line AB will sweep out an angle of 2π rad in a time T

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Your notes

The angular speed is ω is the rate at which the line AB rotates

Angular Velocity
Angular velocity is a vector quantity and is measured in rad s–1
Angular speed is the magnitude of the angular velocity
The direction of the angular velocity vector points along the axis of rotation but depends on the
direction of rotation
The angular velocity vector points in the direction a corkscrew moves when it rotates in the same
direction as the circular motion

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Your notes

Wrap the right hand around the axis of rotation so that the fingers are pointing in the direction of
rotation. The thumb points in the direction of the angular velocity vector
Equation Linking Linear & Angular Speed
The angular speed and velocity don’t depend on the radius of the circle
The linear speed does depend on the radius of the circle

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Your notes

The angle Δθ is swept out in a time Δt, but the arc lengths s and S are different and so are the linear
speeds
The linear speed, v, is related to the angular speed, ⍵, by the equation:
v = rω
Where:
v = linear speed (m s–1)
r = radius of circle (m)
⍵ = angular speed (rad s–1)

Taking the angular displacement of a complete cycle as 2π, the angular speed ⍵ can be calculated
using the equation:

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Worked example
Your notes
Convert the following angular displacement into degrees:

Worked example
A bird flies in a horizontal circle with an angular speed of 5.25 rad s−1 of radius 650 m.
Calculate:
a) The linear speed of the bird
b) The frequency of the bird flying in a complete circle

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Your notes

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Exam Tip
Your notes
You will notice your calculator has a degree (Deg) and radians (Rad) modeThis is shown by the “D” or “R”
highlighted at the top of the screenRemember to make sure it’s in the right mode when using
trigonometric functions (sin, cos, tan) depending on whether the answer is required in degrees or
radiansIt is extremely common for students to get the wrong answer (and lose marks) because their
calculator is in the wrong mode - make sure this doesn’t happen to you!

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6.1.2 Centripetal Force

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Centripetal Force
An object moving in a circle is not in equilibrium, it has a resultant force acting upon it
This is known as the centripetal force and is what keeps the object moving in a circle
The centripetal force (F) is defined as:
The resultant force perpendicular to the velocity, and therefore directed towards the
centre of the circle, required to keep a body in uniform circular motion
The magnitude of the centripetal force F can be calculated using:

Centripetal force is always perpendicular to the linear velocity (i.e., the direction of travel)
Where:
F = centripetal force (N)
v = linear speed (m s−1)
⍵ = angular speed (rad s−1)
r = radius of the orbit (m)
Note: centripetal force and centripetal acceleration act in the same direction
This is due to Newton's Second Law
The centripetal force is not a separate force of its own
It can be any type of force, depending on the situation, which keeps an object moving in a circular path
For example, tension, friction, gravitational, electrical or magnetic
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Examples of centripetal force

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When solving circular motion problems involving one of these forces, the equation for centripetal force
can be equated to the relevant force equation
For example, for a charged particle travelling in a circle, the centripetal force causing the charged
particle to move in a circle is provided by the magnetic force
Therefore, equating the expressions for centripetal force and magnetic force gives the following:

Where:
B = magnetic field strength (T)
q = charge on the particle (C)
m = mass of the particle (kg)
v = speed of the particle (m s−1)
r = radius of orbit (m)

Worked example
A bucket of mass 8.0 kg is filled with water is attached to a string of length 0.5 m.What is the minimum
speed the bucket must have at the top of the circle so no water spills out?

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Step 1: Draw the forces on the bucket at the top

Your notes

Step 2: Calculate the centripetal force

The weight of the bucket = mg
This is equal to the centripetal force since it is directed towards the centre of the circle

Step 3: Rearrange for velocity v

m cancels from both sides

Step 4: Substitute in values

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6.1.3 Centripetal Acceleration

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Centripetal Acceleration
For an object moving in a circle:
The acceleration is towards the centre of the circle
The magnitude of the centripetal acceleration a is:

Where:
a = centripetal acceleration (m s–2)
v = linear speed (m s–1)
r = radius of orbit (m)
Uniform circular motion is continuously changing direction, and therefore is constantly changing
velocity
The object must therefore be accelerating
This is called the centripetal acceleration
Direction of the Centripetal Acceleration
The centripetal acceleration is perpendicular to the direction of the linear velocity
Centripetal means it acts towards the centre of the circular path

Slide a ruler parallel to Δv towards the circle. Midway between A and B, Δv points towards the centre of
the circle. This is the same direction as the centripetal acceleration

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If an object moves through a section of a circle during some time Δt

The change in velocity during this time is Δv
The centripetal acceleration is Δv (a vector) divided by Δt (a scalar) Your notes
The centripetal acceleration points in the same direction as the change in velocity Δv
The centripetal acceleration is caused by a centripetal force of constant magnitude that also acts
perpendicular to the direction of motion (towards the centre)
There is no component of the centripetal force in the direction of the velocity
Therefore, there is no acceleration in the direction of the velocity
Hence, there is uniform motion at constant speed
Therefore, the centripetal acceleration and force act in the same direction
Magnitude of the Centripetal Acceleration
In the diagram above notice how the angle Δθ is defined in terms of the arc length vΔt and the radius r
v is the magnitude of v1 and v2
Notes for deriving the equation for centripetal acceleration:
The vector triangle should be formed so that Δv is horizontal
The velocity vectors v should be of the same length
Hence, the vertical line bisects the angle Δθ and the vector Δv
Use trigonometry for one of the small triangles
The small-angle approximation requires that the angles are in radians
The two equations for Δθ lead to the magnitude of the centripetal acceleration

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Your notes

Deriving the equation for the magnitude of the centripetal acceleration

This leads to the equation for centripetal acceleration:

Using the equation relating angular speed ω and linear speed v:

v = r⍵
These equations can be combined to give another form of the centripetal acceleration equation:

Where:
a = centripetal acceleration (m s−2)
v = linear speed (m s−1)
⍵ = angular speed (rad s−1)

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r = radius of the orbit (m)

Uniform centripetal acceleration is defined as: Your notes
The acceleration of an object towards the centre of a circle when an object is in motion
(rotating) around a circle at a constant speed

Centripetal acceleration is always directed toward the centre of the circle and is perpendicular to the
object’s velocity

Worked example
A domestic washing machine has a spin cycle of 1200 rpm (revolutions per minute) and a diameter of
50 cm.
Calculate the centripetal acceleration experienced by the washing during the spin cycle.

Step 1: List the known quantities

Radius of the drum, r = ½ × 50 cm = 25 cm
Step 2: Convert the revolutions per minute to revolutions per second
1200 ÷ 60 = 20 rev s−1
Step 3: Convert revolutions per second to angular speed in radians per second
1 rev s–1 = 2π rad s–1
20 rev s–1 = 40π rad s–1 = ω
Step 4: Write the equation linking centripetal acceleration and angular speed

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a = rω 2
Step 5: Calculate the centripetal acceleration Your notes
a = (25 × 10−2) × (40π)2
Step 6: State the final answer
a = 3900 m s−2 (2 s.f.)

Worked example
A ball tied to a string is rotating in a horizontal circle with a radius of 1.5 m and an angular speed of 3.5
rad s−1.
Calculate its centripetal acceleration if the radius was twice as large and angular speed was twice as
fast.

Exam Tip
The key takeaways for an object moving in a circle are:
The magnitude of the velocity vector does not change
The direction of the velocity vector does change
Therefore, there is an acceleration despite the speed not changing

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6.1.4 Applications of Circular Motion

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Applications of Circular Motion
Horizontal Circular Motion
An example of horizontal circular motion is a vehicle driving on a curved road
The forces acting on the vehicle are:
The friction between the tyres and the road
The weight of the vehicle downwards
In this case, the centripetal force required to make this turn is provided by the frictional force
This is because the force of friction acts towards the centre of the circular path
Since the centripetal force is provided by the force of friction, the following equation can be written:

Where:
m = mass of the vehicle (kg)
v = speed of the vehicle (m s–1)
r = radius of the circular path (m)
μ = static coefficient of friction
g = acceleration due to gravity (m s–2)
Rearranging this equation for v gives:
v2 = μgr

This expression gives the maximum speed at which the vehicle can travel around the curved road
without skidding
If the speed exceeds this, then the vehicle is likely to skid
This is because the centripetal force required to keep the car in a circular path could not be
provided by friction, as it would be too large

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Your notes

Therefore, in order for a vehicle to avoid skidding on a curved road of radius r, its speed must satisfy the
equation

Banking
A banked road, or track, is a curved surface where the outer edge is raised higher than the inner edge
The purpose of this is to make it safer for vehicles to travel on the curved road, or track, at a
reasonable speed without skidding
When a road is banked, the centripetal force no longer depends on the friction between the tyres and
the road
Instead, the centripetal force depends solely on the normal force and the weight of the vehicle

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Your notes

Vertical Circular Motion

An example of vertical circular motion is swinging a ball on a string in a vertical circle
The forces acting on the ball are:
The tension in the string
The weight of the ball downwards
As the ball moves around the circle, the direction of the tension will change continuously
The magnitude of the tension will also vary continuously, reaching a maximum value at the bottom and
a minimum value at the top
This is because the direction of the weight of the ball never changes, so the resultant force will vary
depending on the position of the ball in the circle

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Your notes

At the bottom of the circle, the tension must overcome the weight, this can be written as:

As a result, the acceleration, and hence, the speed of the ball will be slower at the top
At the top of the circle, the tension and weight act in the same direction, this can be written as:

As a result, the acceleration, and hence, the speed of the ball will be faster at the bottom

Exam Tip
You do not need to know the mathematics of banking but you may be required to explain the principles
unpinning it, so make sure you understand it!

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