Properties of Uniform

Circular Motion
 Uniform circular motion - circular
motion at a constant speed - is one
of many forms of circular motion. An
object moving in uniform circular
motion would cover the same linear
distance in each second of time.
When moving in a circle, an object traverses a
distance around the perimeter of the circle. So
if your car were to move in a circle with a
constant speed of 5 m/s, then the car would
travel 5 meters along the perimeter of the
circle in each second of time.

if the circle had a circumference of 20 meters,

then it would take the car 4 seconds to make a
complete cycle around the circle.
 Change the equation for average speed:

Avg speed =distance/time =circumference/time

and substitute 2**radius for circumference
to get the equation:

Avg Speed = 2**R

Where T = period of time to complete 1 revolution

Using this equation, it becomes clear that the
radius of the circle is directly proportional to
the average speed. For instance - if the
radius of the circle were doubled, but the
period to traverse the circumference
remains the same, then the speed must
double.
 Objects moving in uniform circular motion
will have a constant speed. But does this
mean that they will have a constant velocity?
Recall that speed and velocity refer to two
distinctly different quantities. Speed is a
scalar quantity and velocity is a vector
quantity. Velocity, being a vector, has both a
magnitude and a direction.
Since an object is moving in a circle, its
direction is continuously changing.
As the object rounds
the circle, the
direction of the
velocity vector is
different than it was
the instant before. So
while the magnitude
of the velocity vector
may be constant, the
direction of the
velocity vector is
changing.
Acceleration is defined as a change in velocity
over a period of time, therefore an object with a
change in the direction of the velocity has an
acceleration, even if there is no change in
speed, or the magnitude of the velocity.

velocit Vf - V i
Avg Acceleration =
y time t
=
Remember the rules for adding or
subtracting vectors:

1. the magnitude of the vectors does

not change
2. the directions of the vectors do not
change for addition, but one vector
is reversed for subtraction
3. vectors must be placed head to tail
to add or subtract
For example:

(Notice the direction of the

acceleration.)
 This inward acceleration can be demonstrated with a
cork accelerometer. The cork will move toward the
direction of the acceleration.
For an object moving in a circle, there must be an inward
force acting upon it in order to cause its inward
acceleration. This is sometimes referred to as the
centripetal force requirement. The word
"centripetal" (not to be confused with "centrifugal")
means center-seeking. For objects moving in circular
motion, there is a net force towards the center which
causes the object to seek the center.
To understand the need for a centripetal force,
it is important to have a sturdy understanding
of Newton's first law of motion - the law of
inertia.
The law of inertia states that ...

"... objects in motion tend to stay in motion

with the same speed and the same direction
unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
According to Newton's first law of motion, it is
the natural tendency of all moving objects to
continue in motion in the same direction that
they are moving ... unless some form of
unbalanced force acts upon the object to
deviate the its motion from its straight-line
path. Objects will tend to naturally travel in
straight lines; an unbalanced force is required
to cause it to turn. The presence of the
unbalanced force is required for objects to
move in circles.
Any object moving in a circle (or along a circular
path) experiences a centripetal force; that
is there must be some physical force pushing
or pulling the object towards the center of the
circle. This is the centripetal force
requirement. The word "centripetal" is merely
an adjective used to describe the direction of
the force. The force could be a tensional force,
a gravity force, a contact force, or even
simply friction.
 The Forbidden F-Word

When the subject of circular motion is

discussed, it is not uncommon to hear
mention of the word "centrifugal."
Centrifugal, not to be confused with
centripetal, means away from the center
or outward. Have you ever felt a force
pushing you outward as you made a sudden
turn in a vehicle?
 Ask yourself the following questions:

Does the sensation of being thrown outward

from the center of a circle mean that there
was definitely an outward force?
If there is such an outward force on my
body as I make a left-hand turn in an
automobile, then what physical object is
supplying the outward push or pull?
And finally, could that sensation be
explained in other ways which are more
consistent with our understanding of
Newton's laws?