The acceleration of a Ferris wheel car moving in a circular path and at centripetal acceleration

constant speed is due to a change in direction. An acceleration of this nature the acceleration directed toward
is called a centripetal acceleration. The magnitude of a centripetal accelera- the center of a circular path
tion is given by the following equation:

CENTRIPETAL ACCELERATION

v2 (a)
A vi B v
ac = ⎯t⎯ f
r
(tangential speed)2
centripetal acceleration = ⎯⎯⎯
radius of circular path

What is the direction of centripetal acceleration? To answer this question,

consider Figure 2(a). At time ti, an object is at point A and has tangential
velocity vi. At time tf , the object is at point B and has tangential velocity vf . (b)
Assume that vi and vf differ in direction but have the same magnitudes. vf
The change in velocity (Δv = vf − vi) can be determined graphically, as
Δv
shown by the vector triangle in Figure 2(b). Note that when Δt is very small,
vf will be almost parallel to vi. The vector Δv will be approximately perpendic- −vi
ular to vf and vi and will be pointing toward the center of the circle. Because Figure 2
the acceleration is in the direction of Δv, the acceleration will also be directed (a) As the particle moves from A
toward the center of the circle. Centripetal acceleration is always directed to B, the direction of the particle’s
velocity vector changes. (b) For
toward the center of a circle. In fact, the word centripetal means “center seek- short time intervals, Δv is directed
ing.” This is the reason that the acceleration of an object in uniform circular toward the center of the circle.
motion is called centripetal acceleration.

SAMPLE PROBLEM A

Centripetal Acceleration

PROBLEM
A test car moves at a constant speed around a circular track. If the car is
48.2 m from the track’s center and has a centripetal acceleration of
8.05 m/s2, what is the car’s tangential speed?
SOLUTION
Given: r = 48.2 m ac = 8.05 m/s2
Unknown: vt = ?
Use the centripetal acceleration equation, and rearrange to solve for vt.
v2
ac = ⎯t⎯
r 
vt = 苶
acr苶 = (8
苶.0
苶5苶m
苶/s
苶2苶)(4
苶8.苶2苶m
苶)苶

vt = 19.7 m/s

Circular Motion and Gravitation 235

 PRACTICE A

Centripetal Acceleration

1. A rope attaches a tire to an overhanging tree limb. A girl swinging on the

tire has a centripetal acceleration of 3.0 m/s2. If the length of the rope is
2.1 m, what is the girl’s tangential speed?
2. As a young boy swings a yo-yo parallel to the ground and above his head,
the yo-yo has a centripetal acceleration of 250 m/s2. If the yo-yo’s string
is 0.50 m long, what is the yo-yo’s tangential speed?
3. A dog sits 1.5 m from the center of a merry-go-round. The merry-go-
round is set in motion, and the dog’s tangential speed is 1.5 m/s. What is
the dog’s centripetal acceleration?
4. A race car moving along a circular track has a centripetal acceleration of
15.4 m/s2. If the car has a tangential speed of 30.0 m/s, what is the dis-
tance between the car and the center of the track?

Tangential acceleration is due to a change in speed

You have seen that centripetal acceleration results from a change in direction.
In circular motion, an acceleration due to a change in speed is called tangen-
tial acceleration. To understand the difference between centripetal and tangen-
tial acceleration, consider a car traveling in a circular track. Because the car is
moving in a circle, the car has a centripetal component of acceleration. If the
car’s speed changes, the car also has a tangential component of acceleration.

CENTRIPETAL FORCE
Consider a ball of mass m that is tied to a string of length r and that is being
whirled in a horizontal circular path, as shown in Figure 3. Assume that the
ball moves with constant speed. Because the velocity vector, v, continuously
changes direction during the motion, the ball experiences a centripetal accel-
eration that is directed toward the center of motion. As seen earlier, the mag-
nitude of this acceleration is given by the following equation:

v2
ac = ⎯t⎯
r
Figure 3
When a ball is whirled in a circle, it The inertia of the ball tends to maintain the ball’s motion in a straight
is acted on by a force directed
toward the center of the ball’s cir- path. However, the string exerts a force that overcomes this tendency. The
cular path. forces acting on the ball are gravitational force and the force exerted by the
string, as shown in Figure 4(a) on the next page. The force exerted by the

236 Chapter 7
string has horizontal and vertical components. The vertical component is Fstring
equal and opposite to the gravitational force. Thus, the horizontal component
is the net force. This net force is directed toward the center of the circle, as Fnet = Fc Fg
shown in Figure 4(b). The net force that is directed toward the center of an (a)
object’s circular path is called centripetal force. Newton’s second law can be
applied to find the magnitude of this force.
v
Fc = mac Fc
m
r
The equation for centripetal acceleration can be combined with Newton’s sec-
ond law to obtain the following equation for centripetal force: (b)
Figure 4
CENTRIPETAL FORCE The net force on a ball whirled in a
circle (a) is directed toward the
mvt2 center of the circle (b).
Fc = ⎯⎯
r
(tangential speed)2
centripetal force = mass × ⎯⎯⎯
radius of circular path

Centripetal force is simply the name given to the net force on an object in
uniform circular motion. Any type of force or combination of forces can pro-
vide this net force. For example, friction between a race car’s tires and a circular
track is a centripetal force that keeps the car in a circular path. As another exam-
ple, gravitational force is a centripetal force that keeps the moon in its orbit.

SAMPLE PROBLEM B

Centripetal Force

PROBLEM
A pilot is flying a small plane at 56.6 m/s in a circular path with a radius of
188.5 m. The centripetal force needed to maintain the plane’s circular
motion is 1.89 × 104 N. What is the plane’s mass?
SOLUTION
Given: vt = 56.6 m/s r = 188.5 m Fc = 1.89 × 104 N
Unknown: m=?
Use the equation for centripetal force. Rearrange to solve for m.
mvt2
Fc = ⎯⎯
r
F r (1.89 × 104 N)(188.5 m)
m = ⎯c⎯2 = ⎯⎯⎯
vt (56.6 m/s)2

m = 1110 kg

Circular Motion and Gravitation 237

 PRACTICE B

Centripetal Force

1. A 2.10 m rope attaches a tire to an overhanging tree limb. A girl swinging

on the tire has a tangential speed of 2.50 m/s. If the magnitude of the
centripetal force is 88.0 N, what is the girl’s mass?
2. A bicyclist is riding at a tangential speed of 13.2 m/s around a circular
track. The magnitude of the centripetal force is 377 N, and the combined
mass of the bicycle and rider is 86.5 kg. What is the track’s radius?
3. A dog sits 1.50 m from the center of a merry-go-round and revolves at a
tangential speed of 1.80 m/s. If the dog’s mass is 18.5 kg, what is the
magnitude of the centripetal force on the dog?
4. A 905 kg car travels around a circular track with a circumference of 3.25
km. If the magnitude of the centripetal force is 2140 N, what is the car’s
tangential speed?

Centripetal force is necessary for circular motion

Because centripetal force acts at right angles to an object’s circular motion, the
force changes the direction of the object’s velocity. If this force vanishes, the
object stops moving in a circular path. Instead, the object moves along a
straight path that is tangent to the circle.
For example, consider a ball that is attached to a string and that is whirled
in a vertical circle, as shown in Figure 5. If the string breaks when the ball is at
the position shown in Figure 5(a), the centripetal force will vanish. Thus, the
ball will move vertically upward, as if it has been thrown straight up in the air.
If the string breaks when the ball is at the top of its circular path, as shown in
(a) Figure 5(b), the ball will fly off horizontally in a direction tangent to the path.
The ball will then move in the parabolic path of a projectile.

DESCRIBING A ROTATING SYSTEM

(b) To better understand the motion of a rotating system, consider a car traveling
Figure 5 at high speed and approaching an exit ramp that curves to the left. As the
A ball that is on the end of a string driver makes the sharp left turn, the passenger slides to the right and hits the
is whirled in a vertical circular path. door. At that point, the force of the door keeps the passenger from being eject-
If the string breaks at the position
shown in (a), the ball will move ed from the car. What causes the passenger to move toward the door? A popu-
vertically upward in free fall. (b) If lar explanation is that a force must push the passenger outward. This force is
the string breaks at the top of the
ball’s path, the ball will move along a sometimes called the centrifugal force, but that term often creates confusion,
parabolic path. so it is not used in this textbook.

238 Chapter 7