What is Centripetal: Definition and 1000 Discussions

A centripetal force (from Latin centrum, "center" and petere, "to seek") is a force that makes a body follow a curved path. Its direction is always orthogonal to the motion of the body and towards the fixed point of the instantaneous center of curvature of the path. Isaac Newton described it as "a force by which bodies are drawn or impelled, or in any way tend, towards a point as to a centre". In Newtonian mechanics, gravity provides the centripetal force causing astronomical orbits.
One common example involving centripetal force is the case in which a body moves with uniform speed along a circular path. The centripetal force is directed at right angles to the motion and also along the radius towards the centre of the circular path. The mathematical description was derived in 1659 by the Dutch physicist Christiaan Huygens.

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  1. X

    Centripetal force, this is confusing. Why?

    Homework Statement Someone takes a rock and ties it to a string, and then starts swinging the rock around in a vertical circle. The centripetal force should be... Fc = Fg + FtIt's clear that the book sets Ft=0... but why? Can someone explain this?Homework Equations Fc = m * ac ac = v^2/rThe...
  2. H

    Earth's centripetal acceleration around the Sun

    Homework Statement The Earth has a mass of 6 x 10 24kg and orbits the sun in 3.15 x 10 7 seconds at a constant circular distance of 1.5 x 10 11 m. What is the Earth's centripetal acceleration around the Sun? Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution
  3. S

    How does friction causes centripetal acceleration?

    Hi guys, I'm confused why friction is able to cause centripetal acceleration on a car that is turning in a circular road. Firstly, I think the radial acceleration is provided by the engine alone, and at any point of time the car velocity is tangential to the circular path, and friction is only...
  4. N

    Concerning centripetal accelaeration & force

    I am working on a project and the image you see is a 12 inch diameter flywheel that weighs 27.006 pounds. The RPM's will be 3600. My questions will be about the very large values I get for the acceleration and force. Since I am most familiar with ft/sec and pounds, those are the units I will...
  5. T

    Centripetal Force Ball Swing Question

    Homework Statement An athlete swings a ball, connected to the end of a chain, in a horizontal circle. The athlete is able to rotate the ball at the rate of 8.16 rev/s when the length of the chain is 0.600 m. When he increases the length to 0.900 m, he is able to rotate the ball only 6.32...
  6. Z

    Centripetal acceleration of a vehicle on banked circular arc

    Homework Statement A van is moving on a horizontal circular bend in the road of radius 75m. The bend is banked at arctan(1/3) to the horizontal. The maximum speed at which the van can be driven around the bend without slipping is 25m/s. Calculate the coefficient of friction between the road...
  7. F

    Centripetal Acceleration and Force

    Homework Statement A small truck of mass 1600kg rides in a circle of which has a radius of 40m at a constant speed of 70m/s Calculate: (a) its centripetal acceleration (b)the centripetal force acting. Homework Equations a_{centripetal} = {v^2 \over r} \\ F_{centripetal} = {mv^2 \over r}...
  8. A

    Galileo and the centripetal force experienced by objects on the rotating earth

    Hi, This question is about a discussion in the two chief world systems, the second day about p 230 in the modern science library edition (around figures 10 and 11). I haven't found the excerpt online so I hope someone has the book. As an objection to a rotating earth, the claim that any...
  9. T

    Relationship between centripetal force and gravitational force of satelite

    In order for a satelite to achieve an orbit around the Earth the centripetal force of it needs to be exactly the same as the force of gravitation which is acting upon the satelite. Why is this so?
  10. C

    Centripetal Force - trying to find time

    Homework Statement A physicist is standing 10 feet from the center of a platform that can rotate about a vertical axis - the platform is horizontal. She is holding a weight that is hanging freely from a string. The platform starts rotating and eventually she notices that the weight is no...
  11. Z

    Youngs Modulus and Centripetal Acceleration

    Question #1) In a new bungee sport a 70 kg rider is projected from the shore, out into a lake for a splash with a human scale slingshot. The stretched slingshot is made with a set of 50 cylindrical rubber tubes 1) stretched at a 45 degree angle from the horizontal. The tubes are cylindrical...
  12. B

    Gravitational Fields and Centripetal motion

    Just wondering if this statement is true, GMm/R^2=v^2/R
  13. L

    Centripetal Force Minimum Period Question

    Homework Statement A boy ties a 3.00kg rock to a 0.70 m string and begins spinning it around in a horizontal circle at a constant speed. If the string will break if the tension is greater than 80.0 N, what is the minimum period for the rock to spinning in a circle. How do i solve this...
  14. A

    Difficult Centripetal Motion Problem

    Homework Statement Tarzan swings from a vine 20 m long which makes an angle of 30° with the vertical. If he pushes off with a speed of 2 m/s, what is the tension in the vine at the lowest point of the swing? Tarzan has a mass of 80 kg.Homework Equations centripetal accelaration force = F m =...
  15. N

    Centripetal Force and Roller Coasters

    Homework Statement A) A roller coaster has a vertical drop but followed by a loop. The total vertical height of the drop is 66m. It starts as a steep slope at an angle of 75 degrees relative to the horizontal and then enters into a circular path of radius R. In order to stay below 4 times the...
  16. S

    Centripetal Force - How to describe it?

    So I had a thought today, and I wanted to figure out if it's correct or not about centripetal force. I've always heard it described as the inward force something experiences as it goes around a curve. But could it better be described as the force necessary for an object to maintain circular...
  17. I

    What are the two equations for Centripetal Force

    Homework Statement I have to rearange both equations to find mass, radius, and velocity (each of them seperately). Homework Equations I know that Centripetal Force= mass x (velocty^2/radius). In this case velocity is also equal to 2∏r/T (where T is the period), so I subsituted that in for...
  18. C

    Centripetal acceleration/ angular velocity question

    This is my first post on here so let me know if I need to provide more info. Homework Statement A proposed space station includes living quarters in a circular ring 52.5 m in diameter. At what angular speed should the ring rotate so the occupants feel that they have the same weight as they do...
  19. A

    Centripetal Acceleration of two masses when one mass is half a radius away

    Homework Statement Two objects, m1 and m2, both of mass m, are place on a horizontal platform which is rotating at a constant angular velocity. m1 is located at a distance R from the axis of rotation and m2 is located at a R. The centripetal acceleration of mass m1 ____ to the centripetal...
  20. B

    Centripetal Force vs Radius: Exploring Uniform Acceleration Lab Results

    During a lab, we had to plot graph between Centripetal Force vs Radius of rubber stopper (some uniform acceleration lab) the result i got was a horizontal line. Then a question asks Based on your graph of centripetal force vs. radius of rubber stopper's motion, can you conclude that centripetal...
  21. H

    Centripetal acceleration A jet flies in a vertical circle

    Homework Statement A pilot, whose mass is 96.0 kg, makes a loop-the-loop in a fast jet. Assume that the jet maintains a constant speed of 225 m/s and that the radius of the loop-the-loop is 2.064 km. What is the apparent weight that the pilot feels (i.e., the force with which the pilot...
  22. L

    Need Help- Centripetal plane problem

    Homework Statement An airplane is flying in a horizontal circle at a speed of 420 km/h. If the wings of the plane are tilted 35° to the horizontal, what is the radius of the circle in which the plane is flying? Assume that the required force is provided entirely by an aerodynamic lift that is...
  23. U

    Help Centripetal Force problem

    Here's the problem. I don't understand how to get the velocity? If you cannot read the attachment it reads: An amusement park ride consists of a rotating circular platform 8.26 m in diameter from which 10 kg seats are suspended at the end of 3.9 m massless chains. When the system...
  24. N

    Centripetal Force - Banked Curve

    Homework Statement A 1000kg car travels around a frictionless banked curve having a radius of 80m. If the banking is 20 degrees to the horizontal, at which specific speed must the car travel to maintain a constant radius? Homework Equations Fc = mv^2/r Fg(perp.) = mgcos(20) The...
  25. B

    Centripetal Force vs Centrifugal Force

    Hi, thank you for reading this topic. This is something that really bothers me...First of all let me say that I know what the terms centripetal and centrifugal stand for. What's the problem then? The problem is that I've always read that the centripetal force is an actual force and that...
  26. K

    Does changing radius or speed affect centripetal acceleration?

    Does changing the radius or changing the speed affect centripetal accelereation more? Why?
  27. B

    Archived Centripetal Acceleration and string tension Question

    Homework Statement A 6.0kg object is attached to two 5.0m-long strings and swung around in a circle at 12 m/s. Determine the tension in the two strings, and explain why the tensions are not the same. Given: m=6.0kg v=12m/s length of string= 5.0m Homework Equations ƩF=m.a ac=v^2/R...
  28. L

    Need Help- Centripetal car problems, finding the angle

    Homework Statement Find the angle at which a curve of radius 100m, should be banked in order that a car moving at a speed 90 km/h will not need any frictional force to round it The Attempt at a Solution Alright so what i did was, i made two equations... Fc=Fnsinθ ma=mgsinθ v^2/r=gsinθ this is...
  29. P

    Equal centripetal and tangential accelerations

    Homework Statement A race car starts from rest on a circular track of radius 570 m. The car's speed increases at the constant rate of 0.500 m/s2. At the point where the magnitudes of the centripetal and tangential accelerations are equal, find the following. Find the distance traveled...
  30. G

    Problems pertaining to centripetal force

    Homework Statement A golf ball with mass m = 0.05 kg is tied to a massless string of length L = 0.28 m. The ball is made to swing in a circle such that the string is horizontal throughout the motion. The ball makes one revolution every t = 2.1 s. m = 0.05 kg L = 0.28 m t = 2.1 s Homework...
  31. M

    Centripetal Motion along the horizontal with an angle

    Homework Statement A 0.20 kg stone attached to a 0.8 m long string is rotated in a horizontal plane. The string makes an angle of 25° with the horizontal. Determine the speed of the stone.Homework Equations V= √(Fr/m)The Attempt at a Solution find the vertical component, call it y, then say...
  32. G

    Centripetal acceleration question: car moving around banked curve

    If the wheels and tires of a car are rolling without slipping or sliding when turning, the bottom of the tire is rest against the road at each instant, so the force of friction is the static friction. Essentially if you are moving around a banked curve and the car is not skidding, then friction...
  33. A

    What Goes on the X-Axis and Y-Axis in a Centripetal Force vs Period Graph?

    Homework Statement When plotting the centripetal force vs period graph, what goes on the x-axis and y-axis? I thought that since centripetal force does not depend on period, it goes on the x-axis, but now I'm not too sure. It also says plot Plot Fc as a function of T. Homework Equations The...
  34. P

    Normal Force during centripetal acceleration

    General Question Here: Let's say you are swinging a ball around on a string. Will there be a normal force?
  35. V

    Vertical Centripetal Force to push an object

    I have this device, It has 3 masses 30 grams each (Red ones) the other masses are not considered. The masses are spinning at 600 rpm at that velocity this will reach maximun radius. The maximun radius the masses and reach due to the centripetal force is 15cm. Can this device push a 3kg mass at...
  36. L

    Discover the Influence of Horizontal Centripetal Force on Spinning Motion

    Imagine you are spinning a weight at the end of a string horizontally. As one increases the speed with which the weight is being spinned, the motion becomes more and more horizontal. I understand this occurs because the centripetal force (tension of the string) is increasing but at the same time...
  37. B

    Finding centripetal acceleration of a CD

    1. A CD with a diameter of 12.0 cm starts from rest and with a constant angular acceleration of 1.0 rad/sec2 acquires an angular velocity of 5.0 rad/sec. The CD continues rotating at 5.0 rad/sec for 15.0 seconds and then slows to a stop in 12.0 second with a constant angular deceleration. What...
  38. A

    How do you find centripetal force without knowing velocity?

    Homework Statement A tetherball goes around the pole at a constant velocity. The rope has a 2m length, makes a 30 degree angle below the horizon and the ball's mass is .5 kg. Homework Equations F(gravity)=m*a F(centripetal)=mv^2/r The Attempt at a Solution I'm stuck at trying to...
  39. M

    Centripetal force - Train on a curved track

    Centripetal force -- Train on a curved track Homework Statement You have a circular arc of railroad track to lay on the line from Dubuque to Albuquerque. The arc of track is 30º and the turn radius for the arc is 425 meters. It has to keep the path steady and secure for an ALP-46 locomotive...
  40. Feodalherren

    How Does Doubling Speed Affect Centripetal Force and Acceleration?

    Homework Statement A .2kg ball travels in a circle of r=1m, one revolution every second, what is the acceleration. What would happen to the force and acceleration if you double the speed?Homework Equations f=ma a= (v^2)/rThe Attempt at a Solution 2∏1m x ≈ 6.3m Speed of the ball = 6.3m/s a =...
  41. W

    Finding Centripetal Acceleration?

    Homework Statement In the Bohr model of the hydrogen atom, the electron revolves around the nucleus and has a mass of 9.1 x 10^-31 kg. If the radius of the orbit of the electron is 5.3 x 10^-11 m and the electron makes 6.6 x 10^15 r/s, find The centripetal acceleration Homework...
  42. H

    Centripetal Motion Problems: Solving for Velocity and Acceleration

    Homework Statement A centripetal-acceleration addict rides in uniform circular motion with period T = 4 s and radius r = 3.00 m. At one instant his acceleration is a = (7.00 m/s2)i + (-3.00 m/s2)j . At that instant, what are the following values? (a) v·a (b) r x a Homework Equations 2∏r/T...
  43. D

    Centripetal acceleration: angle at which one will leave a dome

    Homework Statement see attached. Homework Equations centripedal acceleration: a=v^2/r The Attempt at a Solution Okay I found the solution for part 1. http://www.vic.com/~syost/baylor/phy1422s07/final-answers2.pdf question 2. I know the change in energy part. But I don't...
  44. J

    Centripetal Acceleration must equal Gravity in a Space Station

    Homework Statement A space station is to provide artificial gravity to support long-term stay of astronauts and cosmonauts. It is designed as a large wheel, with all the compartments in the rim, which is to rotate at a speed that will provide an acceleration similar to that of terrestrial...
  45. K

    How to Decide Centripetal Forces

    A satellite is in a circular orbit around Earth at an altitude at which air resistance is negligile. Which one of the following statements is true? A. There is only one force acting on the satellite. B. There are two forces acting on the satellite and their resultant is 0. C. There are two...
  46. T

    Question about Centripetal Force

    So in a physics experiment, we used a motor to rotate a mass connected to a spring by a string and pulley until it's radius of rotation increased to a certain point. My question is, why did rotating it faster increase the radius of rotation? Centripetal force pulls objects inward, but the mass...
  47. S

    Centripetal acceleration and outward motion?

    I'm in my first year of physics and I'm having trouble understanding some aspects of centripetal force. When someone is spinning rapidly on, say, an amusement park ride, they tend to be pushed outward the faster they go. Is this the tangential velocity? Or does it involve a different aspect of...
  48. G

    Calculating Centripetal Acceleration of a 7200 RPM Hard Drive

    Homework Statement The hard drives of many desktop computers spin at a maximum rate of 7200 rpm. If the diameter of the spinning disk in the harddrive is 3.51 cm, calculate the magnitude of the centripetal acceleration on the outside radius of the disk. Homework Equations ac=v2/r...
  49. M

    Spiral motion and the centripetal force

    Major brainfart here. Consider the spiral motion of a particle such that the distance from the origin to the particle is r(t) = e^t with a constant angular velocity. Now since the particle rotating with a constant angular velocity, I would think that the net force on the particle...
  50. N

    Centripetal Force required to hold electron

    Homework Statement An electron ( m = 9.11 * 10^-31 kg) moves in a circular orbit of radius 0.4 * 10^-10 m with an angular velocity of 2* 10^16 rad/s. Find the centripetal force required to hold the electron. Homework Equations This is one question from the chapter " Forces Due to...
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