What are centripetal forces. Who made centripetal forces. What is the equation for it?
1 answer:
The centripetal force is the radial force responsible for keeping an object in circular motion; its equation is
Explanation:
Whenever an object is in circular motion, there must be a force that makes the object turning away from its "normal" straight trajectory, keeping it along the circular path.
This force always points towards the centre of the circle, and it is called centripetal force.
The equation to calculate the centripetal force for an object in uniform circular motion is:
where
m is the mass of the object
v is its linear speed
r is the radius of the circle
The nature of the centripetal force is always different and depends on the context. For instance:
- For a stone attached to the end of a rope put in horizontal circular motion, the centripetal force is provided by the tension in the string, which pulls constantly the stone towards the centre of the circle
- For a satellite in circular orbit around the Earth, the gravitational attraction between the Earth and the satellite provides the centripetal force
- For a car moving along a circular turn on an unbanked track, the force of frction between the tires of the car and the road provides the centripetal force.
Learn more about circular motion:
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