Circular Motion
What to expect.
If you've got questions about circular motion, this page has answers. Think of cars going around a curve, a rock in a sling, or a Ferris Wheel. It's all here.
An unbanked curve
​A car goes around a unbanked curve in the road, find the force acting to keep the car on the road.
Find the friction
​A car goes around and unbanked curve. Find the coefficient of friction that keeps it on the road.
An airplane turns
​Find the inward acceleration needed to turn and airplane in the air. The radius is given as is the time to make a complete turn.
The Gravitron (or Rotor)
​This fun rides spins you round and round and creates gravity. With R = 5 m and spinning at 24 revolutions/minute, find the number of "G" forces the riders feel
A satellite orbits Earth
​A satellite of mass M and distance from Earth's center (R) has an orbital speed V. What is the magnitude of the force putting it toward the earth?
Sling shot science
​A sling can withstand 35 Newtons before breaking. If the sling is 1.1 m long and carries a stone of mass 2.0 kg, how fast can the stone move before the string breaks?
A bike goes around a loop
​A bike goes around a loop with a 10.0 m diameter. How fast does the bike need to go to keep from falling when it reaches the top of the loop?
Friction vs. Speed
​Double the coefficient of friction. How does that affect your max speed around a curve?
Lose weights on a Ferris Wheel
​What is the normal force on a Ferris Wheel at the top and bottom of a ride? And what speed does the Wheel need to turn to make you weightless at the top?
Friction vs a banked curve
​How does the coefficient of friction for a car going around a curve compare with the angle of a banked curve?
Hard Physics Problem!!
​When a road has both an incline and friction, the solution is much more complex
Circular mystery: solved!
​Till now we're just assumed this formula, but in this video, we prove that the centripetal acceleration is v^2/R.