Chapter 17:

Circular motion
Chapter outline
■ use degrees and radians as measures of angle, including the expression of angular displacement in radians
■ explain uniform circular motion in terms of a centripetal force causing a centripetal acceleration
■ solve problems involving angular displacement and velocity, including use of the equation v = rω
r 2 = v and
2
■ solve problems involving centripetal force and acceleration, including use of the equations a = rω
r
mr 2 = mv
2
F mrω r

KEY TERMS

radian: a unit of angle such that 2π radians = 360°

angular displacement θ: the angle through which an object moves in a circle
angular velocity ω: the rate at which the angular displacement changes
centripetal force: the resultant force acting on an object that is moving in a circle
angular displacement Δθ
Equations: angular velocity = ; ω=
time Δt
speed = radius × angular velocity; v = r ω

centripetal acceleration = radius × (angular velocity ) ; a = r ω 2 = ν

106 2 2

r
mν 2
centripetal force = mass × centripetal acceleration; F = mr ω 2 =
r

Exercise 17.1 Angular measure

The radian is a more ‘natural’ unit of measurement of angles than the degree. Angles in
radians can be calculated knowing the length s of the arc subtended by the angle and
the radius r of the circle: θ = rs . This exercise provides practice in calculating angles in
radians and converting between degrees and radians.
1 For each diagram a–f, calculate the unknown quantity θ, s or r, from the other two:

s
1.50 m

θ 2.0 rad 1.0 m

cm
0.5 0.50
1.00 m r

a b c
 Chapter 17: Circular motion

0.48 m
mm
27
s rad r
1.2
θ 1.10 m 1.81 rad

0.03 m

d e f

2 When an object moves around a complete circle, its angular displacement is 2π radians or 360°.

a Show that one radian is approximately equal to 57°.

b Convert each of these angles in degrees to radians:
i 20°
ii 75°
iii 175°.
c Convert each of the following angles in radians to degrees:
i 0.40 rad
ii 1.35 rad
iii 2.0 rad.
d Express each of these angles as multiples of π radians:
i 180°
ii 90° 107
iii 45°.

3 This diagram shows how an angle of one radian is defined – the arc subtended by the angle is
equal in length to the radius of the circle:

r r

1 radian

a Draw a similar diagram to show the dimensions of an angle of 2.0 radians.

TIP π
b Draw a similar diagram to show the dimensions of an angle of 3 radians.
If a question about
circular motion
seems unclear, 4 You may need to find the value of a trigonometric function (such as sine or cosine) of an angle
draw a diagram whose value is given in radians. Make sure that you know how to set your calculator to work with
of the circle and angles in radians.
angles involved
a Check that your calculator shows that sin (1.0 rad) = 0.841.
to help your
understanding. b Calculate the values of the following, where all angles are given in radians; give your answers
to three significant figures:
 Cambridge International AS and A level Physics

i cos 1.0
ii tan 1.0
iii sin 0.10
⎛ π⎞
iv sin ⎜ ⎟
⎝ 4⎠
⎛π ⎞
v cos ⎜ ⎟
⎝3 ⎠
Your calculator is likely to have a π key.

c Determine the following angles; give your answers in radians and to three significant figures:
i sin−1 0.50
ii cos −1 (−0.65).

Exercise 17.2 Uniform circular motion

An object that moves around a circular path at a steady speed is described as
having uniform circular motion. This is an exercise to develop understanding of the
relationships between velocity, angular velocity, period, angle and radius.
1 A fairground ride consists of several cars travelling around on a vertical wheel of radius
r = 20.0 m. Each car makes one complete circuit in a time T = 35 s.

a During each circuit, a car travels around 360°. This is its angular displacement θ. Give the
value of θ in radians.
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b Calculate the car’s angular velocity ω.
c Calculate the distance travelled by the car during one circuit (= 2πr).
distance
d Calculate the car’s speed v using speed = .
time
e Calculate the car’s speed using v = rω. Check that your answers to d and e are the same.

2 Two runners, A and B, are jogging side by side around a circular running track.

a Runner A jogs along the centre of the track. Here, the radius of the track is 100.0 m. Calculate
the distance travelled in one complete circuit. (Give your answer to one decimal place.)
b Runner B jogs beside runner A, at a distance of 0.80 m further from the centre of the track.
How much further does B travel than A when completing a circuit?
c Runner A runs at a steady speed of 5.0 m s−1. Determine the speed at which B must run in
order to stay beside runner A.

3 A train moves along a curved section of track at a steady speed of 18.0 m s−1.

a The curved section of track has a length of 900 m. Deduce how long it will take the train to
travel this distance.
b The radius of curvature of the track is 3.60 km. Calculate the angle through which the train
length of arc
has moved (its angular displacement). Remember: angle in radians =
radius
c Calculate the angular velocity of the train.
d Draw a diagram to show the curved section of the track. Add arrows to show the velocity of
the train at the start of the section and at the end.
 Chapter 17: Circular motion

17.3 Centripetal force and acceleration

An object moving in a circle must be acted on by a resultant force which is not zero.
In this exercise, you need to decide whether an object is acted on by a non-zero
resultant force. If it is, you can then calculate quantities such as angular velocity
and acceleration.
1 a Describe the motion of an object which is acted on by balanced forces (resultant force = 0).

b The resultant force acting on an object as it travels around in a circle can be described as a
centripetal force. State the direction of such a force.

2 This diagram shows an object at several points around its path. It is moving with uniform
circular motion in a clockwise direction:

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a Explain what the word uniform tells you about the object’s speed.
b State whether the object’s velocity is constant. Explain your answer.
c Copy the diagram and add an arrow (labelled v) to each image of the object to represent its
velocity. Add a second arrow (labelled F) to represent the centripetal force acting on it.

3 This diagram shows a rubber bung being moved around in a circle on the end of a length
of string:

tension
 Cambridge International AS and A level Physics

The bung travels around eight complete circuits in 10 s. The radius r of its path is 40.0 cm.

a State the name of the force that provides the centripetal force which causes the bung to
travel in a circle.
b Calculate the speed v of the bung.
2
c Use the equation a = v to calculate the bung’s centripetal acceleration.
r
d Draw a diagram of the bung and add arrows to show the directions of its velocity and its
acceleration.
e State the other quantity you would need to know in order to determine the centripetal force
acting on the bung.
f Describe how the bung will move if the girl releases the string.

4 The Earth is kept in its orbit by the gravitational pull of the Sun:
velocity

Earth

gravitational
Sun pull of Sun

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a State how long it takes the Earth to orbit the Sun. Give your answer in seconds.
b Calculate the Earth’s angular velocity ω around the Sun.
c The radius of the Earth’s orbit is 150 × 106 km. Use the equation a = rω2 to calculate the
Earth’s centripetal acceleration.
d The gravitational acceleration of an object near the Earth’s surface is 9.8 m s −2. How many
times greater is this than your answer to part c?

5 A car is travelling at 28 m s −1 along a curved section of road. The radius of curvature of the road
is 300 m.

a Calculate the car’s centripetal acceleration.

b The car has a mass of 1200 kg. Calculate the centripetal force acting on the car.
 Chapter 17: Circular motion

The road surface is banked at an angle θ (that is, it slopes across the direction of travel)
so that the car can travel around the bend without slipping. This diagram shows the forces
acting on the car: its weight mg and the contact force of the road N:
N θ
N vertical
component
road θ

θ horizontal
mg component

c What force provides the car’s centripetal acceleration? State its direction. (Any force that has
a component at right angles to an object’s velocity will provide a centripetal acceleration.)
d The best angle of banking is given by this equation:
v2
tan θ =
rg
Find the value of θ for vehicles travelling at 28 m s −1.

6 This diagram shows a rubber bung on the end of a length of string:

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The bung is being swung around in a horizontal circle. The string makes an angle of 60° with
the vertical.

a Two forces act on the bung. Name these forces and draw a free body diagram to show their
directions.
b The mass of the bung is 150 g. Calculate its weight.
c The weight of the bung is balanced by the vertical component of the tension in the string.
Use this fact to calculate the tension in the string.
d The centripetal force acting on the bung is provided by the horizontal component of the
tension. Calculate the value of this horizontal component.
e Calculate the bung’s acceleration.
f The radius of the bung’s path is 60 cm. Calculate its speed.
g Calculate the time taken for one complete revolution of the bung.
 Cambridge International AS and A level Physics

Exam-style questions
1 a Explain what is meant by the term angular velocity. [2]
b A merry-go-round in a children’s park completes 10 revolutions in one minute.
Calculate its angular velocity. [2]
c A child sitting on the edge of the merry-go-round is at a distance of 1.20 m from the
centre. Calculate the child’s centripetal acceleration. [2]
d The child moves closer to the centre of the ride. State whether each of these quantities
increases, decreases or stays the same:
i angular velocity
ii centripetal acceleration
iii centripetal force. [3]

2 A racing cyclist is practising by cycling around a flat, circular track. The track has a radius of
50.0 m.

a The cyclist travels half way around the track. Show that his angular displacement is
π radians. [2]
b The electronic timing system indicates that the cyclist took 11.51 s to complete this ride.
Calculate his angular velocity and his speed. [3]
c The cyclist, together with his bicycle, has a mass of 94.2 kg. Calculate the centripetal force
acting on the cyclist. [2]
d The centripetal force is provided by the frictional force of the track on the bicycle’s
tyres. Describe how the cyclist will move if there is insufficient friction to keep
him on course as he travels around the track. [2]
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