Question on circular motion and Newton's laws

In summary, when twirling a rubber stopper attached to a string, there are action/reaction forces at play. Circular motion demonstrates Newton's first law, which states that an object will continue in its state of motion unless acted upon by an external force. The equation F=ma is relevant in this scenario. Centrifugal force is not a real force, as explained by the teacher. The tension force is an example of an action/reaction force pair, along with the force applied by the hand and the stopper/string force pair.
  • #1
excel000
8
0
1. What are the action/reaction forces when twirling a rubber stopper attached to a string? How does circular motion illustrate Newton's first law?



2. F=ma



3. I thought about centripetal and centrifugal, but my teacher said centrifugal force isn't a real force.
 
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  • #2
Your teacher of course is correct. When you talk of 'action/reaction' forces, you're talking usually about Newton's 3rd Law 'force pairs', whereby if A exerts a force on B, then B exerts a force on A that is equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to it. Does that help?
 
  • #3
yea, but i can only think of the tension force, i can't think of the opposite to that. how about the force applied by the hand and the tension force?
 
  • #4
excel000 said:
yea, but i can only think of the tension force, i can't think of the opposite to that. how about the force applied by the hand and the tension force?
Yes, that's one of them. If the hand pulls on the string creating a force in the string, then what can you say about the force of the string on the hand? What about the stopper/string force pair?
 

1. What is circular motion and how is it related to Newton's laws?

Circular motion is the movement of an object along a circular path. It is related to Newton's laws because the first law states that an object will continue moving in a straight line at a constant speed unless acted upon by a force. In circular motion, the object is constantly changing direction and therefore experiencing a force, as described by the second law. Additionally, the third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, which is evident in circular motion as the centripetal force causing the circular motion is countered by the centrifugal force pushing the object outwards.

2. What is the difference between centripetal force and centrifugal force?

Centripetal force is the force that keeps an object moving along a circular path and is directed towards the center of the circle. It is responsible for pulling the object towards the center and maintaining the circular motion. On the other hand, centrifugal force is an apparent force that appears to push an object away from the center of the circle due to its inertia. In reality, centrifugal force is not a true force but rather an effect of the object's inertia.

3. How is centripetal force calculated in circular motion?

The formula for calculating centripetal force is F = m*v^2/r, where F is the centripetal force, m is the mass of the object, v is its velocity, and r is the radius of the circular path. This formula is based on Newton's second law, which states that force is equal to mass times acceleration.

4. Can an object in circular motion have a constant speed but changing velocity?

Yes, an object in circular motion can have a constant speed but changing velocity. This is because velocity is a vector quantity that includes both magnitude and direction. In circular motion, the direction of the object is constantly changing, even if the speed remains constant. This means that the velocity is also changing, as it takes into account the direction of the object's motion.

5. How does the mass of an object affect its circular motion?

The mass of an object does not affect its circular motion. According to Newton's second law, the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the force applied to it and inversely proportional to its mass. In circular motion, the force is determined by the object's speed, the radius of the circular path, and the centripetal force, but not its mass. Therefore, the mass of an object does not impact its circular motion.

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