Lessons

11 & 12
C I RC U L A R A N D C U RV I L I N E A R
MOTION
 CIRCULAR MOTION
Circular motion is described as a movement of an object while rotating along a
circular path. A circular path is defined by a curve with constant radius of
curvature. Circular motion can be either uniform or non-uniform. During uniform
circular motion the angular rate of rotation and speed will be constant while
during non-uniform motion the rate of rotation keeps changing.
Understanding the Formulas

The presence of the angular

acceleration will make a circular motion
non-uniform. A non-zero value of α will
make a non-zero value of aT. As shown
in the previous figure, presence of aT
makes the motion non-uniform.
 Understanding the Formulas
Similar to our rotational motion, we are going to use the angular velocity and
acceleration in this topic. But in here we are less concerned in the angular changes but
rather in positional changes.

The angular velocity is expressed in rad/s and can be further simplified as a frequency
which is every second only (e.g. 2πrad/s = 2π/s). In order to be a linear velocity which is
a ratio of distance and time, ω must be multiplied by an actual distance, which is existent
in an actual circular motion. The distance being travelled by a revolving object is the
circumference. An angular movement of 2π means a movement of one circumference.
Knowing that C = 2πr, the 2π angle must be multiplied by the radius to become the
distance travelled, and any fraction of this angle applies perfectly if multiplied by the
radius. Hence, .
 Tangential Velocity & Tangential
Acceleration
A tangent is defined as a line perpendicular to a radius and intersects a circle at
one exact point only. An object having a circular path can have a tangential
velocity and acceleration if it is facing a direction perpendicular to the circular
paths radius that is containing this object. As this very object moves along the
circular path, the direction of its tangential velocity changes as it follows the
radius which it must be perpendicular with. This sensation is true as this object
experience an inward acceleration which drag its movement towards the center.
There is no centripetal velocity, but there is a centripetal acceleration. The
tangential acceleration however, is the linear change in magnitude of tangential
velocity with respect to time. It is the direction and magnitude that defines a
vector, and velocity is a vector.
The Mass Moment of Inertia
The goal of this section is to put Newton’s second law into a form suitable for
describing the rotational motion of a rigid object about a fixed axis. Force is the
product of mass and acceleration. The mass moment of inertia is also called the
rotational inertia.
Situation 1
A car travels at a constant speed around a circular track whose radius is 2.6 km.
The car goes once around the track in 360 s.

a.) What is the angular velocity of the car.

b.) What is the magnitude of the centripetal acceleration of the car?

c.) If the car has a mass of 2000kg, determine its angular momentum.
Solution
A car travels at a constant speed around a circular track whose radius is 2.6 km.
The car goes once around the track in 360 s.

a.) What is the angular velocity of the car.

Solution
A car travels at a constant speed around a circular track whose radius is 2.6 km.
The car goes once around the track in 360 s.

b.) What is the magnitude of the centripetal acceleration of the car?

.
Solution
A car travels at a constant speed around a circular track whose radius is 2.6 km.
The car goes once around the track in 360 s.

c.) If the car has a mass of 2000kg, determine its angular momentum.
Situation 2
The motor in an electric saw brings the circular blade from rest up to the rated
angular velocity of 80.0 rev/s in 240.0 rev. One type of blade has a moment of
inertia of 1.41x10-3 kg m2.

a.) What is the angular acceleration?

b.) What net torque (assumed constant) must the motor apply to the blade?

c.) If the conversion of energy has an efficiency of 0.85, what power input is
necessary to keep the angular velocity 80.0rev/s?
Solution
The motor in an electric saw brings the circular blade from rest up to the rated
angular velocity of 80.0 rev/s in 240.0 rev. One type of blade has a moment of
inertia of 1.41x10-3 kg m2.

a.) What is the angular acceleration?

Solution
The motor in an electric saw brings the circular blade from rest up to the rated
angular velocity of 80.0 rev/s in 240.0 rev. One type of blade has a moment of
inertia of 1.41x10-3 kg m2.

b.) What net torque (assumed constant) must the motor apply to the blade?
Solution
The motor in an electric saw brings the circular blade from rest up to the rated
angular velocity of 80.0 rev/s in 240.0 rev. One type of blade has a moment of
inertia of 1.41x10-3 kg m2.

c.) If the conversion of energy has an efficiency of 0.85, what power input is
necessary to keep the angular velocity 80.0rev/s?
 CURVILINEAR MOTION
In planar curvilinear motion, the velocity and acceleration components of
the particle are always tangential and normal to the fixed curve. The
velocity is always tangential to the curve and the acceleration can be
broken up into both a tangential and normal component.. The radius of
curvature varies as the particle moves along the curve. Curvilinear
motion is still linear, which applies the derived formulas in rectilinear
kinematics. But we must only apply the rectilinear kinematics to the
linear or the tangential components of the acceleration. The velocity
considered in this motion is always perpendicular to the varying radius
of curvature.
Curvature
Center of Curvature
Distance along the Curve
Situation 3
A road is represented by a curve . If the car passes at point A which is at the
elevation zero with a speed of 20 m/s and begins to increase its speed at a
constant rate of at = 0.5 m/s2 . It is currently at point B which is the highest point
along the curve.

a.) Determine the radius of curvature at this point.

b.) Determine the magnitude of the car’s acceleration at this point.

c.) Determine the center of curvature along this point.

Solution
a.) Determine the radius of curvature at this point.
Solution
b.) Determine the magnitude of the car’s acceleration at this point.
Solution
b.) Determine the magnitude of the car’s acceleration at this point.
Solution
Solution
c.) Determine the center of curvature along this point.
Center of Curvature and ρ
Figure