UNIFORM CIRCULAR MOTION

Maxinoa , Mendozaa
Oliverosa
Cabrera, R. M.b
a. Group 3B, PHY10L (B4), 3rd Quarter (AY 2012 2013), Department of
Physics, Mapa Institute of Technology, Manila
b. Faculty, Department of Physics, Mapa Institute of Technology, Manila
Abstract: A famous conundrum of life that people sometimes dont have the care
for the world for is the idea behind even the simplest of forces. In this experiment,
a group of researchers try to gain an idea of forces by learning first about vectors.
Throughout the experiment, the researchers tried various methods in attaining
something called the resultant and equilibrant in a system of concurrent forces.
The experiment concluded with multiple discrepancies between the data.

Keywo
rds:
Forces,
Vectors
,
Resulta
nt,
Equilib
rant

1. Introduction
Its always been a wonder as to how some objects seem to maintain circular paths; from the
simple conical pendulum to the relationship between planets and their satellites. If one
understood all that the previous experiments, then one would understand that Newtons Laws of
Motion would have a large impact to its understanding. This experiment (Exp. 6) tries to deal
with centripetal forces, allowing the students to quantify the centripetal force on the body when
one of the parameters is held constant, and to verify the effects of varying factors involved in
circular motion.
Theories and Concepts
If one were to deal with things about orbiting bodies, objects circulating around a base it is tied
around with, and even a car turning on a road or vine-swinging, he or she has to understand
circular motion. When talking about circular motion, it is the motion along a circular path [3, 4].
There are two types of circular motion, uniform circular motion and non-uniform circular
motion. Both types have an object rotating at a linear or tangential velocity; though uniform has
them constant, while non-uniform has them on varying magnitudes. In this experiment (Exp. 1),
the focus is on uniform circular motion.
After understanding circular motion, it is important to understand that it can take up in
two different paths: horizontal circle or vertical circle. Horizontal circular paths appear circular
from the top or bottom view, and would appear elliptical or straight in other angles. Examples are
the conical pendulum and the large propeller of a modern helicopter.
Vertical circular paths, however, appear circular in the front or rear view, and appear
straight or elliptical in other angles. Examples are a swing set and the hamster wheel. In this
experiment, the researchers will be focusing on horizontal circular paths.
Aspects of Circular Motion
To gain a better grasp of what is going on inside circular motion, it is best to get a clear idea of
the things that are interacting within it. In every aspect, there is a particular suggested unit of
measurement involved, depending if it came from the International System (SI), or the
Centimeter-gram-second system (CGS). Below are the aspects of circular motion [3, 4]:
The most important of all of them is centripetal force, the net force responsible for the
circular path. It is usually depicted as capital F sub c (Fc) and is the most important because it
technically tells us everything about circular motion. Centripetal means center going, so it
must mean that it is a force going towards the center of the path and opposite from the object. It
is uses Newtons (kilogram-meter per squared second or kg-m/s 2) in SI, or dynes (gram-meter per
second squared or g-cm/s2) in CGS.
Another two simple aspects of circular motion are tangential velocity and radius, usually
depicted as capital V sub T (VT) and capital R respectively. Tangential velocity is the linear

velocity tangent to the circular path at the point where the object is lying. Basically, if the
centripetal force is not present, one will be left to deal with an object moving linearly. Radius is
basically the distance between the object and the center of the circular path. It is uses meters per
second (m/s) and meters (m) in SI, or centimeters per second (cm/s) and centimeters (cm) in
CGS.
Next on the list is centripetal acceleration, usually depicted as lowercase a sub c (ac). It is
also known as radial acceleration, as it is the acceleration of the object in the relationship
between the tangential velocity and radius which will be explained later. Much like force, it
approaches the center of the path, and against the orbiting object. It is uses meters per squared
second (m/s2) in SI, and centimeter per squared (cm/s2) second in CGS.
Angular velocity, usually depicted as lower-case omega (), is the relationship between
angles and time, where it is the amount of change in angle it makes per set time. It can either be
clockwise or counter-clockwise. There is a special kind of angular velocity called as angular
frequency, where it is merely the angular velocity in one whole revolution. In both SI and CGS,
it uses radians per second (rad/s).
Another aspect is period, usually depicted as capital T. Period is basically the time it
takes to complete one whole revolution. In both SI and CGS, it uses seconds (s).
The last of its aspects is frequency, usually depicted as lowercase f. It is the reciprocal of
the period, and tells how many revolutions are made within a time interval. In both SI and CGS,
it uses revolutions per second (rps), though it may be called Hertz as well.
Knowing all the aspects stated above, one is able to draw a figure similar to that of Fig. 1.
.

Figure 1: Aspects of Circular Motion

where the red circle depicts the rotating body, blue arrow depicts the direction of the
centripetal force and centripetal acceleration, the green arrow depicts the direction of the
tangential velocity, and the purple arrow depicts the direction of angular velocity.

For consistency, the table below provided by the Lab Manual [2] shows the appropriate
units of measurement depending on the unit system being followed.
Table 1: Units of Measurement in each parameter
Aspects
Systeme International
Centripetal force
N
Mass of rotating body
kg
Radius of rotation
m
Tangential velocity
m/s
Angular velocity
rad/s
Frequency of rotation
rps

Centimeter-gram-second
dynes
g
cm
cm/s
rad/s
rps

Using Derivation
Because the centripetal force is considered as a net force, then it is certain the Newtons Second
Law may be used to determine it. Before continuing however, it is important to note the
following details. Below, one can see that (Eq. 1) is depicting that the centripetal acceleration is
equal to the square of the tangential velocity over the radius. As explained by (Eq. 2), angular
velocity is the tangential velocity over the radius. Equation 3 shows that the angular frequency,
however, is one whole revolution, which is 2, over the period [1, 2, 3, 4].

(1)

(2)

(3)

Using Newtons Second Law of Motion, we may say that the centripetal force, a net
force, equates to the mass of the rotating object multiplied with the centripetal acceleration.
(4)

Using (Eq. 1), one is able to substitute the centripetal acceleration in terms of tangential
velocity and radius.

(5)
Using (Eq. 2), one is able to. again, substitute the tangential velocity in terms of angular
velocity and radius.
(6)
Finally with (Eq. 3), it is for certain that the angular velocity is equal to the angular
frequency. Substituting the angular velocity leaves one with an equation containing period,
which may be turned into frequency by taking its reciprocal.
(7)

(8)

Objectives
1. To quantify the centripetal force on the body when one of the parameters is held
constant
2. To verify the effects of varying the factors involved in circular motion

2. Materials
Materials
In this experiment (Exp. 6), the researchers used a set of a rotating platform. It imitates the
motion of an object that is orbiting at an axis, adding ways to measure certain aspects of circular
motion like the indication disk and bracket, measuring platform, etc. It should be noted, however,
that the platform should be balanced which will be indicated if it stays stationary. Its balance can
be adjusted by two knobs on the base.
The clamp-on pulley is also included in the balancing of the platform. It is used to tie a
hanging mass into the rotating body.
The hanging mass stated above is compromised of the mass hanger and mass slots. They
are used for adjusting the indication bracket and can represent as the centripetal force of the
system.

Lastly, the stopwatch is provided for every group. It is used to record the time it takes to
make ten revolutions in a system.
Figure 2 [5] is the setup used for the whole of the experiment.

Figure 2: Rotating Platform Setup

Methods
In this experiment, there will be three parts. Some will have a common magnitude for an aspect
such as mass of rotating body, radius of rotating body, and centripetal force. Each will be
thoroughly stated in each part.
Part A: Varying Radii
The researchers:
1. used the initial data provided: 207.8 (50.6 + 50.6 + 106.6) grams on the rotating body and
a hanging mass of 45 grams. They calculated for the actual centripetal force by
multiplying the hanging mass to 980, which the result should be in dynes.
2. initially set the radius of the rotating body to 16 centimeters. They moved it by loosening
the thumb screw of the side post.
3. hanged the known mass over the clamp-on pulley and tied it with the rotating body. They
adjusted the indicator bracket to where the indicator disk is stationary.

4. removed the hanging mass from the whole system to ensure that the platform was still
balanced.
5. gently rotated the apparatus until the indicator disk was centered in the indicator bracket.
They had to maintain their chakra to make sure it wouldnt jump too much.
6. used a stopwatch to record the time to complete ten revolutions. They divided the time by
ten and recorded it as period in its corresponding trial. They also obtained the frequency
by taking the reciprocal.
7. slid the side post to a new radius and repeated the process from Step 5. The radii used for
the next four trials are as follows: 17 cm, 18 cm, 19 cm, and 20 cm.
8. computed the experimental centripetal force using (Eq. 7), and tested again using (Eq. 8)
to check for discrepancies.
9. solved the percent difference, which the equation is shown below.
(9)

Part B: Varying Rotating Masses

The researchers:
1. used the initial data provided: 16 cm for the radius of rotation, 45 grams for the
hanging mass. The rotating body is divided by three, with two having the same mass.
The two similar plates are 50.6 grams, while the singular one is 106.6 grams. They
summed up to 207.8 grams. They calculated for the actual centripetal force by
multiplying the hanging mass to 980, which the result should be in dynes.
2. set the side post at the 16 cm radius.
3. used the previous setup, so doing they didnt need to readjust the indicator bracket.
4. gently rotated the apparatus until the indicator disk was centered in the indicator
bracket. Same as above, they had to maintain their chakra to make sure it wouldnt
jump too much.
5. used a stopwatch to record the time to complete ten revolutions. They divided the
time by ten and recorded it as period in its corresponding trial. They also obtained the
frequency by taking the reciprocal.
6. repeated the procedure from Step 4 while changing the mass of the rotating body at
each trial. Knowing that the rotating body is divided by three, they removed one of
the identical plates in the second trial, and used only the heaviest plate on the third.
7. computed the experimental centripetal force using (Eq. 7), and tested again using (Eq.
8) to check for discrepancies.
8. solved the percent difference using (Eq. 9)
Part C: Varying Centripetal Forces
The researchers:
1. used the initial data provided: 16 cm for the radius of rotation, 45 grams for the
hanging mass. The rotating body was 207.8 grams, and considered actual value. They

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

calculated for the centripetal force by multiplying the hanging mass to 980, which the
result should be in dynes.
used the previous setup, so doing they didnt need to readjust the indicator bracket or
the side post.
gently rotated the apparatus until the indicator disk was centered in the indicator
bracket. Same as above, they had to maintain their chakra to make sure it wouldnt
jump too much.
used a stopwatch to record the time to complete ten revolutions. They divided the
time by ten and recorded it as period in its corresponding trial. They also obtained the
frequency by taking the reciprocal.
repeated the procedure from Step 3 while changing the values of the hanging mass by
adding 20 more grams for every trial. This also means that they had to readjust the
indication bracket, and computed different actual centripetal forces for every trial.
computed the experimental mass of the rotating body for every trial using (Eq. 10),
which was derived from (Eq. 7)
(1
0)

7. solved the percent difference using (Eq. 9)

3. Results and Discussion

The functions that the rotating platform provided made the experiment relatively easy for most of
the students. The acquisition of data provided was done at quite an impressive speed. However,
there were some doubts that arose within each group in the truthfulness of the data they have
gathered. It was difficult for many to maintain their chakra, and the result was the indication disk
jumping too much.
The following table provides the data confirmed to be gathered during the first part of the
experiment. Data that are italicized are the actual values and the values given as instruction by
the lab professor. Though in the experiment the researchers used the stopwatch to take ten
revolutions, the data provided has already complied with the definition of a period of rotation,
which is the time it takes for only one revolution.
Table 2: Varying Radii
mass of rotating body, m
= 207.8 grams
actual centripetal force, Fc
= 44,100 dynes
radius,
period,
frequency,
Trial
r
T
f
1
16 cm
1.72 s
0.58 rev/s
2
17 cm
1.80 s
0.56 rev/s
3
18 cm
1.83 s
0.55 rev/s
4
19 cm
1.88 s
0.53 rev/s
5
20 cm
1.93 s
0.52 rev/s
Average experimental centripetal force, Fc

Centripetal force,
Fc
44,367.85 dynes
43,043.66 dynes
44,093.60 dynes
44,100.47 dynes
44,047.44 dynes
43,930.60 dynes

Percent difference

0.3849 %

The next table corresponds to that of the second trial. Instead of the radius having
differing values per trial, it is the rotating mass instead. Much like in the previous table, the
period uses time per single revolution, and the given and actual data are italicized. The varying
mass is taken by removing a part of it for after each trial, as it is divided by three parts.
Table 3: Varying Rotating Mass
Radius of rotation, r
= 16 cm
Actual centripetal force, Fc
= 44,100 dynes
mass of rotating body,
period,
frequency,
Trial
m
T
f
1
207.8 grams
1.81 s
0.55 rev/s
2
157.2 grams
1.54 s
0.65 rev/s
3
106.6 grams
1.24 s
0.69 rev/s
Average experimental centripetal force, Fc
Percent difference

Centripetal force,
Fc
40,065.27 dynes
41,868.83 dynes
43,791.88 dynes
41,908.66 dynes
5.10 %

The last table records that data of the third trial. The difference is that the hanging mass is
changed for every trial, resulting in differing centripetal forces as well. Unlike the two previous
tests, the actual value will be the rotating mass, and each trial will be computing for the
experimental rotating mass.

Table 4: Varying Centripetal Force

mass of rotating body, m
= 207.8 grams
actual centripetal force, Fc
= 44,100 dynes
Centripetal force,
period,
frequency,
Trial
hanging mass
Fc
T
f
1
45 grams
44,100 dynes
1.73 s
0.58 rev/s
2
65 grams
63,700 dynes
1.42 s
0.70 rev/s
3
85 grams
83,300 dynes
1.26 s
0.79 rev/s
4
105 grams
102,900 dynes
1.12 s
0.89 rev/s
5
125 grams
122,500 dynes
1.04 s
0.96 rev/s
Average experimental rotating mass, m
Percent difference

4. Conclusion

rotating mass,
m
208.95 grams
203.35 grams
209.37 grams
204.35 grams
209.76 grams
207.156 grams
0.31 %

The researchers analyzed and judged their answers taken from the experiment. For every part,
they concluded a certain relationship between the aspects. The following are below:
For Part A: In a system of constant rotating mass and centripetal force, the increase of
the radius of the rotation results in the increase of the time it took to finish one revolution.
For Part B: In a system of radius of rotation and centripetal force, the decrease of mass
of the rotating body results in the decrease of the time it took to finish one revolution.
For Part C: In a system of constant rotating mass and radius of rotation, the increase of
the centripetal force results in the decrease of the time it took to finish one revolution.
Though the data gathered by the researchers allowed them to conclude the earlier three
statements, there was still the matter of the percentage error. Though they were relatively small,
they thought it was still best to discuss about the factors and limitations that would have caused
such errors.
The most relevant and common factor is human error. An individuals tendency to
estimate because of their lack in the ability to measure items to an exact value contributes very
much to the discrepancies. Because of this, it is expected that humans will most probably yield
results that are chaotic, especially if not using any computations through theories.
Imperfections of the measuring tools are also contributed to this error, as they were created by
men.
A more specific factor of the above is, as called by the instructor of the class, lack of
chakra control. It typically meant that that the researcher who was responsible of applying force
to the rotating platform wasnt doing well with maintaining it at a constant for ten revolutions,
resulting in the indicator disk to jump around rather than stay in place vertical to the indicator
bracket.
Another contribution of human error is the imbalance of the rotating platform. It was
essential that the students themselves were to try to make sure that the rotating platform would
be balanced. Though given the devices, its impossibility is inexistent.

5. Applications
The applications of circular motion are massive; Yoyo tricks, vine swinging, Olympic hammer
throwing, anything that makes motion of even a small circular arc. It is best to tell a story or two
about the wonders of circular motion for everyone to easily understand.
Once, there was a child named Narutot of the Hidden Gas Village, the paradise for all
couch potatoes. He had a dream of becoming the next Imokage, or Potato Shadow, the great
silent but deadly leader of the Hidden Gas Village. His mentor, Vegetae, the prince of planet
Vegetae, also had his own dreams of becoming the Legendary Super Couch Potato of Legends.
At one point in time, planet Vegetae was under a huge threat; a large meteor was
determined to hit the planet after a few days if it were to maintain in the same constant orbit.
Everyone panicked, though was too lazy to come up of a solution due to their couch potato-ness.
This was all except for Narutot and his mentor.

Narutot thought about how the orbit of the planet is similar to that of circular motion.
Knowing that the mass of their sun is pretty miniscule compared to the planets, he assumed that
if the mass of the planet increased, it would orbit a whole lot faster. Although his secret
technique, the Rasenfart, was able to add mass to the planet, it wouldnt be enough. He told this
to his mentor, knowing that the Legendary Super Couch Potato of Legends had the power to
manipulate his own mass at even greater magnitudes.
Vegetae tried, and tried, and tried, but failed countless times. But there was a saying in
the legends of planet Vegetae, Defeating a couch potato only makes him lazier. Because of his
countless defeats, his lazy-scale went up crazy and he turned into the Legendary Super Couch
Potato of Legends.
Using Narutots secret Rasenfart technique, added with Vegetaes newly acquired power
of the Big Bang Attack (yes, there is no need to change its name to a gas related joke), they
caused the planet to so fast that it did exactly one revolution in a second. They lowered the
magnitude of their powers when they realized that they needed to slow it down when it was
already away from the meteors path. Due to Narutots ingenious solution, the planet was saved
and was labeled as Imokage.

6. References
Cabrera, R.M, General Physics 1 (Laboratory) Lectures, 3 rd Quarter (AY 2012 2013),
Department of Physics, Mapa Institute of Technology, Manila
[2]
General Physics Laboratory Manual, Department of Physics, Mapa Institute of
Technology, Manila
[3]
Young and Freedman, University Physics with Modern Physics, 12th edition.
[4]
Albalate, M, General Physics 1 Lectures, 3 rd Quarter (AY 2012 2013), Department of
Physics, Mapa Institute of Technology, Manila
[5]
Radian Web: Interactive Learning Zone. Taken March 6, 2013, from:
http://www.radian.com.hk/alphyprac/expt%20graphics/a0201a.jpg.
[1]