Circular Motion

To keep a body moving in a circle, there must be a force on it directed towards the centre. This force is called
the centripetal force.

Centripetal means centre seeking/towards the centre

Centripetal force is a resultant force which means that some other force(s) must provide the necessary
centripetal force. Some common examples of centripetal force are listed below

For centripetal force to act on the body, the body does not necessarily have to be in a complete circle. Even if
a body moves along an arc (part of a circle), it would still require a centripetal force. This is illustrated in the
following examples

The golden rule to identify the greater force in a circular motion is to check for the force that acts towards the
centre of the circle.
Vertical Circular Motion

For the scenario above, if the body is rotated at a constant speed, the centripetal force will remain constant.
The weight of a body also remains constant and therefore, the only force that changes throughout the motion
is tension.
Therefore, in a vertical motion, tension is always max at the bottom because at A, T = Fc + W and min at the
top because at C, T = Fc − W.

Deriving Equations

The diagram below shows a car going around a circle at a constant speed. The tangential velocity, v will have
the same magnitude as the speed of the car. The tangential velocity always acts in the direction of motion of
the body at a specific instant and hence, it is often referred to as instantaneous velocity.

In circular motion, a body has two velocities —

θ
ω=
t
2π
For one complete circle, ω =
t
1
f =
t
ω = 2π f
Unit of ω is rad s −1 (radian per second)
Link between tangential velocity & angular velocity

Since the actual velocity is changing, the body is accelerating. This is called
centripetal acceleration.
Centripetal acceleration can be expressed both in terms of tangential velocity
as well as angular velocity —

v2
(i) ac =
r
(ii) ac = rω
2

For a body to accelerate, there must be a resultant force acting on it. For a body in circular motion, the
resultant force is the centripetal force.

Fc = RF = mac

mv 2
• Fc = r
2
• Fc = mrω

Choosing the right equation for centripetal force

In certain systems such as vinyl discs, CD/DVD players and fans, the speed remains constant i.e. they have a
constant RPM. In these systems, irrespective of the radius, the angular velocity always remains constant.
Therefore, we generally use the equation Fc = mrω 2 to mathematically assess these systems.

Practical examples of circular motion

Example 1

Q. Explain why roads designed for high speed travel do not have sharp bends
mv 2
Ans: Sharp bends have a smaller radius of curvature. Therefore, according to the equation Fc = , the
r
required centripetal force would be much greater or larger. Friction provides the necessary centripetal force
and has a maximum value. If the required centripetal force becomes greater than the maximum value of
friction, the car will skid off the road.

Example 2
Q. The diagram shows a spider at position B, resting on a fan. State and
explain what will be the safest position for the spider when the fan is switched
on.

Ans: When the fan is switched on, the safest position for the spider is C. At C,
orbital radius is smaller. According to the equation Fc = mrω 2, since r is
smaller with m and ω 2 being remaining constant, centripetal force will also be
smaller. Now friction should be able to provide the necessary centripetal force.
Conical Pendulum

As T increases, the string becomes more and more horizontal but will never become perfectly horizontal
because there must always be a vertical component of tension to balance the weight.