Chapter 6
Circular Motion and Other Applications of Newtons Laws
Uniform Circular Motion, Acceleration
A particle moves with a constant speed in a circular path of radius r with an acceleration:
v2 ac = r
r The centripetal acceleration, ac is directed toward
the center of the circle
The centripetal acceleration is always perpendicular to the velocity
Uniform Circular Motion, Force
r A force, Fr , is associated with the centripetal acceleration The force is also directed toward the center of the circle Applying Newtons Second Law along the radial direction gives
v2 F = mac = m r
Uniform Circular Motion, cont
A force causing a centripetal acceleration acts toward the center of the circle It causes a change in the direction of the velocity vector If the force vanishes, the object would move in a straight-line path tangent to the circle
See various release points in the active figure
Conical Pendulum
The object is in equilibrium in the vertical direction and undergoes uniform circular motion in the horizontal direction
Fy = 0 T cos = mg Fx = T sin = m ac
v is independent of m
v = Lg sin tan
Motion in a Horizontal Circle
The speed at which the object moves depends on the mass of the object and the tension in the cord The centripetal force is supplied by the tension
Tr v= m
Horizontal (Flat) Curve
The force of static friction supplies the centripetal force The maximum speed at which the car can negotiate the curve is
v = s gr
Note, this does not depend on the mass of the car
Banked Curve
These are designed with friction equaling zero There is a component of the normal force that supplies the centripetal force
v2 tan = rg
Banked Curve, 2
The banking angle is independent of the mass of the vehicle If the car rounds the curve at less than the design speed, friction is necessary to keep it from sliding down the bank If the car rounds the curve at more than the design speed, friction is necessary to keep it from sliding up the bank
Loop-the-Loop
This is an example of a vertical circle At the bottom of the loop (b), the upward force (the normal) experienced by the object is greater than its weight
mv 2 F = nbot mg = r v2 nbot = mg 1 + rg
Loop-the-Loop, Part 2
At the top of the circle (c), the force exerted on the object is less than its weight
mv 2 F = ntop + mg = r v2 ntop = mg 1 rg
Non-Uniform Circular Motion
The acceleration and force have tangential components r Fr produces the centripetal acceleration r Ft produces the tangential acceleration r r r F = Fr + Ft
Vertical Circle with NonUniform Speed
The gravitational force exerts a tangential force on the object
Look at the components of Fg
The tension at any point can be found
v2 T = mg + cos Rg
Top and Bottom of Circle
The tension at the bottom is a maximum
2 v bot T = mg + 1 Rg
The tension at the top is a minimum
2 v top 1 T = mg Rg
If Ttop = 0, then v top = gR
Motion in Accelerated Frames
A fictitious force results from an accelerated frame of reference
A fictitious force appears to act on an object in the same way as a real force, but you cannot identify a second object for the fictitious force
Remember that real forces are always interactions between two objects
Centrifugal Force
From the frame of the passenger (b), a force appears to push her toward the door From the frame of the Earth, the car applies a leftward force on the passenger The outward force is often called a centrifugal force
It is a fictitious force due to the centripetal acceleration associated with the cars change in direction
In actuality, friction supplies the force to allow the passenger to move with the car
If the frictional force is not large enough, the passenger continues on her initial path according to Newtons First Law
Coriolis Force
This is an apparent force caused by changing the radial position of an object in a rotating coordinate system The result of the rotation is the curved path of the ball
Fictitious Forces, examples
Although fictitious forces are not real forces, they can have real effects Examples:
Objects in the car do slide You feel pushed to the outside of a rotating platform The Coriolis force is responsible for the rotation of weather systems, including hurricanes, and ocean currents
Fictitious Forces in Linear Systems
The inertial observer (a) at rest sees Fx = T sin = ma
= T cos mg = 0
The noninertial observer (b) sees F 'x = T sin Ffictitious = ma
F '
= T cos mg = 0
These are equivalent if Ffictiitous = ma
Motion with Resistive Forces
Motion can be through a medium
r The medium exerts a resistive force, R , on an object moving through thermedium The magnitude of R depends on the medium r The direction of R is opposite the direction of motion of the object relative to the medium r R nearly always increases with increasing speed
Either a liquid or a gas
Motion with Resistive Forces, cont
r The magnitude of R can depend on the
speed in complex ways We will discuss only two r R is proportional to v
r Good approximation for slow motions or small objects R is proportional to v2
Good approximation for large objects
Resistive Force Proportional To Speed
The resistive force can be expressed as r
r R = bv
b depends on the property of the medium, and on the shape and dimensions of the object r The negative sign indicates R is in the r opposite direction to v
Resistive Force Proportional To Speed, Example
Assume a small sphere of mass m is released from rest in a liquid Forces acting on it are
Resistive force Gravitational force
Analyzing the motion results in
mg bv = ma = m dv b a= =g v dt m dv dt
Resistive Force Proportional To Speed, Example, cont
Initially, v = 0 and dv/dt = g As t increases, R increases and a decreases The acceleration approaches 0 when R mg At this point, v approaches the terminal speed of the object
Terminal Speed
To find the terminal speed, let a = 0 mg vT = b Solving the differential equation gives
v= mg 1 e bt m = vT 1 e t b
is the time constant and = m/b
Resistive Force Proportional To v2
For objects moving at high speeds through air, the resistive force is approximately equal to the square of the speed R = DAv2
D is a dimensionless empirical quantity called the drag coefficient is the density of air A is the cross-sectional area of the object v is the speed of the object
Resistive Force Proportional To v2, example
Analysis of an object falling through air accounting for air resistance
1 F = mg D Av 2 = ma 2 D A 2 a = g v 2m
Resistive Force Proportional To v2, Terminal Speed
The terminal speed will occur when the acceleration goes to zero Solving the previous equation gives
2mg vT = D A
Some Terminal Speeds
Example: Skysurfer
Step from plane
Initial velocity is 0 Gravity causes downward acceleration Downward speed increases, but so does upward resistive force
Eventually, downward force of gravity equals upward resistive force
Traveling at terminal speed
Skysurfer, cont.
Open parachute
Some time after reaching terminal speed, the parachute is opened Produces a drastic increase in the upward resistive force Net force, and acceleration, are now upward
The downward velocity decreases
Eventually a new, smaller, terminal speed is reached
Example: Coffee Filters
A series of coffee filters is dropped and terminal speeds are measured The time constant is small
Coffee filters reach terminal speed quickly
Parameters
meach = 1.64 g Stacked so that front-facing surface area does not increase
Coffee Filters, cont.
Data obtained from experiment At the terminal speed, the upward resistive force balances the downward gravitational force R = mg
Coffee Filters, Graphical Analysis
Graph of resistive force and terminal speed does not produce a straight line The resistive force is not proportional to the objects speed
Coffee Filters, Graphical Analysis 2
Graph of resistive force and terminal speed squared does produce a straight line The resistive force is proportional to the square of the objects speed