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Uniform Circular Motion

This document provides a lab activity on uniform circular motion, including exploring an interactive simulation to answer questions about an object's velocity, acceleration, and the net force required for circular motion at constant speed. Students are asked to consider how an object can accelerate towards the center of a circle without getting closer, and to think mathematically about how acceleration depends on speed and radius of curvature. The purpose is for students to explore and understand the characteristics of uniform circular motion.

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pariyagorn tarin
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96 views

Uniform Circular Motion

This document provides a lab activity on uniform circular motion, including exploring an interactive simulation to answer questions about an object's velocity, acceleration, and the net force required for circular motion at constant speed. Students are asked to consider how an object can accelerate towards the center of a circle without getting closer, and to think mathematically about how acceleration depends on speed and radius of curvature. The purpose is for students to explore and understand the characteristics of uniform circular motion.

Uploaded by

pariyagorn tarin
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CHONKANYANUKOON SCHOOL

English Program
Term 2, SY 2021 – 2022
Elective Physics 1 – Mechanics

Class No. _________ Date: ___________________ Score: ___________


Name: __________________________________ Class: EP 4/1

Uniform Circular Motion

Purpose:
The purpose of this activity is to explore the characteristics of the motion of an object in a circle at a
constant speed.

Procedure and Questions:

Open this website: https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Physics-Interactives/Circular-and-


Satellite-Motion/Uniform-Circular-Motion/Uniform-Circular-Motion-Interactive

1. Navigate to the Uniform Circular Motion Interactive in the Physics Interactives section of The
Physics Classroom website. Experiment with the on-screen buttons in order to gain
familiarity with the control of the animation. The object speed, radius of the circle, and object
mass can be varied using the sliders or the buttons. The vector nature of velocity and
acceleration can be displayed on the screen. A trace of the object's motion is shown. The
acceleration of and the net force values are displayed in the animation window. The
animation can be started, paused, continued or rewound.

After gaining familiarity with the program, use it to answer the following questions.

2. Velocity is a vector quantity which has both magnitude and direction. Using complete
sentences, describe the object's velocity. Comment on both the magnitude and the direction.

3. TRUE or FALSE?
If an object moves in a circle at a constant speed, its velocity vector will be
constant.
Explain your answer.

4. In the diagram at the right, a variety of positions


about a circle are shown. Draw the velocity vector at
the various positions; direct the v arrows in the
proper direction and label them as v. Draw the
acceleration vector at the various positions; direct
the a arrows in the proper direction and label them
as a.
5. Describe the relationship between the direction of the velocity vector and the
direction of the acceleration for a body moving in a circle at constant speed.

6. A Puzzling Question to Think About: If an object is in uniform circular motion,


then it is accelerating towards the center of the circle; yet the object never gets
any closer to the center of the circle. It maintains a circular path at a constant
radius from the circle's center. Suggest a reason as to how this can be. How can
an object accelerate towards the center without ever getting any closer to the
center?

7. A Thought Experiment: Suppose that an


object is moving in a clockwise circle (or at least
trying to move in a circle).
• Suppose that at point A the object traveled in
a straight line at constant speed towards B'. In
what direction must a force be applied to force
the object back towards B? Draw an arrow on
the diagram in the direction of the required
force.
• Repeat the above procedure for an object
moving from C to D'. In what direction must a force be applied in order for the
object to move back to point D along the path of the circle? Draw an arrow on
the diagram.
• If the acceleration of the body is towards the center, what is the direction of the
unbalanced force? Using a complete sentence, describe the direction of the
net force that causes the body to travel in a circle at constant speed.
8. Thinking Mathematically: Explore the quantitative dependencies of the
acceleration upon the speed and the radius of curvature. Then answer the following
questions.
a. For the same speed, the acceleration of the object varies (directly,
inversely) with the radius of curvature.
b. For the same radius of curvature, the acceleration of the object varies
(directly, inversely) with the speed of the object.
c. As the speed of an object is doubled, the acceleration is
(one-fourth, one-half, two times, four times) the original value.
d. As the speed of an object is tripled, the acceleration is (one-
third, one-ninth, three times, nine times) the original value.
e. As the radius of the circle is doubled, the acceleration is
(one-fourth, one-half, two times, four times) the original value.
f. As the radius of the circle is tripled, the acceleration is (one-
third, one-ninth, three times, nine times) the original value.

Conclusion:
Write a conclusion to this activity in which you completely and intelligently describe the
characteristics of an object that is traveling in uniform circular motion. Give attention to
the quantities speed, velocity, acceleration and net force.

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