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Circular Motion and Inertia

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Circular Motion and Inertia

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Anthony Quan
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Circular and Satellite Motion Name:

Circular Motion and Inertia


Read from Lesson 1 of the Circular and Satellite Motion chapter at The Physics Classroom:
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/circles/u6l1c.cfm
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/circles/u6l1d.cfm
MOP Connection: Circular Motion and Gravitation: sublevels 3 and 4
Review Questions:
1. Newton's first law states: An object at rest will ___remain at rest___.
An object in motion will ___remain in motion with the same speed and direction___
unless acted upon by ___an unbalanced force___.
2. Inertia is ...
… the natural tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion.
Applications of Newton's First Law to Motion in Circles:
The diagram below depicts a car making a right-hand turn. The driver of the car is represented by the
circled X. The passenger is represented by the solid circle. The seats of the car are vinyl seats and have
been greased down so as to be smooth as silk. As would be expected from Newton's law of inertia, the
driver continues in a straight line from the start of the turn until point A. The path of the driver is shown.
Once at point A, the door pushes the driver
F inward towards the center of the circle. With an
F inward force, the driver can make the circular
turn.
F
3. On the same diagram, show the path of the
F passenger from the start of the turn until
the passenger strikes the driver. Mark the
F passenger's position with a solid circle.
Put a dot at the point where the driver and
F passenger make contact; label this as point
B.
F 4. Describe the motion of the passenger from
the start of the turn until point B.
F
The passenger travels in a straight line.
F Describe the motion of the passenger from
point B for the rest of the turn.

B The passenger travels along a curved path,


following the path of the car.
5. From point B for the remainder of the turn,
place arrows on the diagram indicating the
direction of the force of the driver pushing
on the passenger. Label these arrows with
an F.
6. In this example, the collision between the
passenger and the driver can be explained
by exerting that _____. Answer: C
a. an outward force pushed the
passenger towards the driver.
b. an outward force pulled the
passenger towards the driver.
c. the passenger traveled straight-
ahead and an inward force pushed
the driver into the passenger.

© The Physics Classroom, 2020 Page 1


Circular and Satellite Motion

7. Rex Things and Doris Locked are out on a date. Rex makes a rapid right-hand turn. Doris begins
sliding across the vinyl seat (which Rex had waxed and polished beforehand) and collides with Rex.
To break the awkwardness of the situation, Rex and Doris begin discussing the physics of the
motion that was just experienced. Rex suggests that objects that move in a circle experience an
outward force. Thus, as the turn was made, Doris experienced an outward force that pushed her
towards Rex. Doris disagrees, arguing that objects that move in a circle experience an inward force.
In this case, according to Doris, Rex traveled in a circle due to the force of his door pushing him
inward. Doris did not travel in a circle since there was no force pushing her inward; she merely
continued in a straight line until she collided with Rex. Who is correct? ___Doris___ Argue one of
these two positions.
As shown in the diagram above, the approach of Doris towards Rex is no because Doris's path
changed. Doris moved in a straight line. Straight line motion does not require a force. On the other
hand, Rex is the one whose path changed. Rex moved closer to the center of the circle and bumped
into Doris. There was no outward force on Doris; there was an inward force on Rex.
8. Noah Formula guides a golf ball around the outside rim of the
green at the Hole-In-One Putt-Putt Golf Course. When the ball
leaves the rim, which path (1, 2, or 3) will the golf ball follow?
___2___ (Note that this diagram depicts the God's eye view.)
Explain why.
The ball moved along a circular path because of the force of the
rim. Once the rim force is gone, the ball moves in a straight line.
9. Suppose that you are a driver or passenger in a car and you travel over the top of a small hill
in the road at a high speed. As you reach the crest of the hill, you feel
your body still moving upward; your gluts might even be pulled off the car
seat. It might even feel like there is an upward push on your body. This
upward sensation is best explained by the ______. Answer: A
a. tendency of your body to follow its original upward path
b. presence of an upward force on your body
c. presence of a centripetal force on your body
d. presence of a centrifugal force on your body

10. Darron Moore is on a barrel ride at an amusement park. He enters


the barrel and stands on a platform next to the wall. The ride
operator flips a switch and the barrel begins spinning at a high
rate. Then the operator flips another switch and the platform
drops out from under the feet of the riders. Darron is plastered to
the wall of the barrel. This sticking to the wall phenomenon is
explained by the fact that ________. Answer: B
a. the ride exerts an outward force on Darron which pushes him outward against the wall
b. Darron has a natural tendency to move tangent to the circle but the wall pushes him inward
c. air pressure is reduced by the barrel's motion that causes a suction action toward the wall
d. the ride operator coats the wall with cotton candy that causes riders to stick to it
Always take time to reflect upon your own belief system that governs how you
interpret the physical world. Be aware of your personal "mental model" which
you use to explain why things happen. The idea of this physics course is not to
acquire information through memorization but rather to analyze your own
preconceived notions about the world and to dispel them for more intelligible
beliefs. In this unit, you will be investigating a commonly held misconception
about the world - that motion in a circle is caused by an outward (centrifugal)
Learning to Learn
Strategy force. This misconception or wrong belief is not likely to be dispelled unless you
devote some time to reflect on whether you believe it and whether it is
intelligible. After considering more reasonable beliefs, you will be more likely to dispel the belief in a
centrifugal force in favor of a belief in an inward or centripetal force.

© The Physics Classroom, 2020 Page 2

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