3. You want to make a bowling ball travel in a circular counter-clockwise path around you
(this means YOU are the centerpoint). After you set the ball in motion to the left, in what
direction will force need to be exerted to keep the ball in a circular path?
a. You need to constantly push the ball away from you
b. You need to constantly push the ball toward you.
c. You need to constantly push the ball to the left
4. When referring to circular motion, a period is
a. The distance traveled in one revolution
b. The time required to travel one revolution
c. The distance that you can travel in a second
5. When walking in a circle counterclockwise you are
a. Pushing toward the center of your path with your right foot
b. Pushing toward the center of your path with your left foot
c. Exerting equal force with both feet.
6. Besides gravity (which pushes down on you) and the normal force (pushing up on you),
what force is being used to keep you on a circular path?
a. Inertia
b. Friction
c. Centrifugal force
7. We use the formula 2r for distance that is because this formula will give us
a. The distance around the circle
b. The diameter of the circle
c. The volume of the circle.
8. Velocity is defined as
a. Circumference divided by frequency (Circumference/frequency)
b. Radius multiplied by Period (Radius*Period).
c. Circumference divided by Period (Circumference/Period)
9. If you travel around a circle that has a radius of 2 meters in 2 seconds, the distance that
you traveled is
a. About 12.5 meters
b. 0 meters
c. 25 meters
d. 6.25 meters
10. If you are traveling in a circle at constant speed, are you accelerating?
a. Yes, because you are changing your speed
b. Yes, because you are changing direction
c. No, because you are traveling in a circular path (which is really a straight line).
11. Acceleration which points to the center of a circular path is called
a. Centrifugal force
b. Inertia
c. Centripetal force
12. Consider the following equation
Assume that the Period is one second. If this is the case then average speed (v) per second
= the circumference of circle. So here is my question Suppose you have two circles, one is
twice as wide as the other. If you want to walk around each circle in the same amount of
time, the speed at which you travel needs to be
a. faster on the larger circle
b. faster on the smaller circle
13. Consider the following picture. If you traveled at the same average speed around each of
the circles, the period would be
a. shorter for the larger circle
b. shorter for the smaller circle?
14. A tube is been placed upon the table and shaped into a three-quarters circle. A golf ball is
pushed into the tube at one end at high speed. The ball rolls through the tube and exits at the
opposite end. Describe the path of the golf ball as it exits the tube .
an acceleration), then the candle flame will no longer extend vertically upwards. Instead the flame
deflects from its upright position. This signifies that there is an acceleration when the flame
moves in a circular path at constant speed. The deflection of the flame will be in the direction of
the acceleration.
Why? This can be explained by asserting that the hot gases of the flame are less massive (on a
per mL basis) and thus have less inertia than the cooler gases which surround. Subsequently, the
hotter and lighter gases of the flame experience the greater acceleration and will lean in the
direction of the acceleration.
17. Using the example for problem 15, draw a picture of what the flames would look like.
19. Dizzy Smith and Hector Vector are still discussing # 18. Dizzy says that the ball is not
accelerating because its velocity is not changing. Hector says that since the ball has
changed its direction, there is an acceleration. Who do you agree with? Argue a position
by explaining the discrepancy in the other student's argument.
20. Look at each of the pictures below and explain the force that is
21. Why does gravity not affect example b. in # 20? Draw a free body diagram to explain
this.
b Which vector below represents the direction of the force vector when the object is located at point
C on the circle?
c Which vector below represents the direction of the velocity vector when the object is located at
point B on the circle?
d. Which vector below represents the direction of the velocity vector when the object is located at
point C on the circle?
e. Which vector below represents the direction of the acceleration vector when the object is located
at point B on the circle?
23. 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.
Known Information:
Requested Information:
m = 900 kg
a = ????
v = 10.0 m/s
Fnet = ????
R = 25.0 m
a = v2 / R
Fnet = m a
A 95-kg halfback makes a turn on the football field. The halfback sweeps out a path which is a
portion of a circle with a radius of 12-meters. The halfback makes a quarter of a turn around the
circle in 2.1 seconds. Determine the speed, acceleration and net force acting upon the halfback.
(remember that speed uses the letter v).
Known Information:
Requested Information:
m = 95.0 kg
v = ????
R = 12.0 m
a = ????
Fnet = ????
24. What equation will you use to solve for v? Write the equation, then solve the problem.
25. What equation will you use to solve for a? Write the equation, then solve the problem.
26. What equation will you use to solve for Fnet? Write the equation then solve the problem.
The relationship expressed by the equation is that the acceleration of an object is directly
proportional to the net force acting upon it. In other words, the bigger the net force value is, the
bigger that the acceleration value will be. As net force increases, the acceleration increases. In fact,
if the net force were increased by a factor of 2, the equation would predict that the acceleration
would increase by a factor of 2. Similarly, if the net force were decreased by a factor of 2, the
equation would predict that the acceleration would decrease by a factor of 2.
Newton's second law equation also reveals the relationship between acceleration and mass.
The predictive ability of an equation becomes more complicated when one of the quantities included
in the equation is raised to a power. For instance, consider the following equation relating the net
force (Fnet) to the speed (v) of an object moving in uniform circular motion.
This equation shows that the net force required for an object to move in a circle is directly
proportional to the square of the speed of the object. For a constant mass and radius, the Fnet is
proportional to the speed2.
The factor by which the net force is altered is the square of the factor by which the speed is altered.
Subsequently, if the speed of the object is doubled, the net force required for that object's circular
motion is quadrupled. And if the speed of the object is halved (decreased by a factor of 2), the net
force required is decreased by a factor of 4
31. Anna Litical is practicing a centripetal force demonstration at home. She fills a bucket with
water, ties it to a strong rope, and spins it in a circle. Anna spins the bucket when it is half-full of
water and when it is quarter-full of water. In which case is more force required to spin the bucket in
a circle? Explain using an equation as a "guide to thinking."
32. A Lincoln Continental and a Yugo are making a turn. The Lincoln is four times more massive
than the Yugo. If they make the turn at the same speed, then how do the centripetal forces acting
upon the two cars compare. Explain.
33. The Cajun Cliffhanger at Great America is a ride in which occupants line the perimeter of a
cylinder and spin in a circle at a high rate of turning. When the cylinder begins spinning very rapidly,
the floor is removed from under the riders' feet. What affect does a doubling in speed have upon the
centripetal force? Explain.
34. Determine the centripetal force acting upon a 40-kg child who makes 10 revolutions around the
Cliffhanger in 29.3 seconds. The radius of the barrel is 2.90 meters.
bucket. According to the equation Fnet = mv2 / R, force and mass are directly
proportional. So the greater the mass, the greater the force.
32. The centripetal force on the Continental is four times greater than that of a Yugo.
According to the equation Fnet=(mv2) / R, force and mass are directly proportional. So 4
times the mass means 4 times the force.
33. Doubling the speed of the ride will cause the force to be four times greater than the
original force. According to the equation Fnet=(mv2) / R, force and speed2 are directly
proportional. So 2X the speed means 4X the force (that's from 22).
34. Answer: Fnet = 533 N
Given: m = 40 kg; R = 2.90 m; T = 2.93 s (since 10 cycles takes 29.3 s).
First, find speed using
speed=(2 pi R) / T = 6.22 m/s.
Then find the acceleration using
a = v2 / R = = (6.22 m/s)2 / (2.90 m) = 13.3 m/s/s
Now use Fnet = m a to find that Fnet = 533 N.
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