Notes for Using this Presentation

Each lecture lasted approximately 1 hour but varied by

group of students.
All of the real world pictures in the slides are linked to
websites with videos to show the concepts. The videos
are great for discussions with students.
There are many other links in the slides to animations,
simulations, and other interactive activities to help with
discussion and understanding.
The laboratory experiments did not all finish in 1 hour so
certain steps were omitted but I have included all of my
material.



LECTURE 3
Uniform Circular Motion
Terms
Circular - circolare
Centripetal acceleration - accelerazione centripeta
Angular velocity - velocit angolare
Introduction
Question
If an object moves around circle with the same speed the
entire time, will the objects velocity vector be constant?

Centripetal Acceleration
Newtons Second Law for circular motion
=

Centripetal acceleration,

, is the acceleration an object

feels when in uniform circular motion
=

The object is not changing its speed but it is changing its
direction so it must be accelerating
Because of velocity and vectors!


Roundup Ride: How It Works
Question
Draw the acceleration
and velocity vectors at
the different points in the
circle.

Animation
Question
Describe the motion of the ball as it leaves the tube.
Centripetal Force in Space!
Real World Application: Roundabouts
A 900-kg car moving at 10 m/s takes a turn around a
circle with a radius of 25.0 m. Determine the acceleration
and the net force acting upon the car.

What keeps the car from leaving the circular motion?
Fighter Pilots and G Forces
Rotational/Angular Velocity

Rotational velocity =
Change in angle
time
Linear & Angular Velocity
t
s
v Linear Velocity is distance/time:
Angular Velocity is turn/time:
t

Definition:
Definition:
The most common unit is RPM.
Ex. 6 rev/min, 360/day, 2 rad/hour
Formula for Angular Velocity
t
r
v

r v
t
s
v
Definition of Linear Velocity:
Arc Length Formula
Definition of Angular Velocity:
LECTURE 4
Laboratory Experiment: Circular Motion
Introduction
Video

Procedure
Form groups of 4 students
Link arms and stand shoulder to shoulder
Measure the distance each student is from the center of
the circle
As a group, spin in a circle making sure that the group
stays in a straight line
Record the amount of time it takes to make 3 complete
revolutions
Switch positions so that each member of the group is in
each position at least once

Data Table
Student Distance from Center (m)
1
2
3
4
5
Time to Complete 3 Revolutions:
Finding Angular Speed
Find the angular speed of each student in your group.
Recall the formulas we learned!

Find the centripetal force YOU felt when the group was
spinning. Compare to other members in your group.
What do you notice?

At what speed would the 20
th
person in the chain have to
walk if we made a chain that large?

Mythbusters!
Video
Engineers in the World
Engineering Around the World
Saving Venice
Interested in Physics or Science?
Mythbusters:
http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters
Colorado Phet Simulations:
http://phet.colorado.edu/it/simulations/category/physics
LiveScience:
http://www.livescience.com/
How Stuff Works:
http://www.howstuffworks.com/
MIT:
http://www.mit.edu/
Grazie!
My email: ngagnier@mit.edu