Relationship between radial and angular acceleration

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SUMMARY

The relationship between radial acceleration and angular acceleration is defined through their respective equations. Radial acceleration (a_r) is given by the formula a_r = v²/r, where v is the linear velocity and r is the radius of the circular path. Angular acceleration (α) is related to tangential acceleration (a_T) by the equation α = a_T/r. There is no direct algebraic relationship between radial and angular acceleration; they are perpendicular components of motion. Misinterpretations in questions regarding their relationship can lead to confusion, as seen in the discussion.

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  • Understanding of circular motion concepts
  • Familiarity with the equations of motion
  • Knowledge of angular velocity and acceleration
  • Basic grasp of tangential and radial acceleration
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  • Study the derivation of radial acceleration formulas in circular motion
  • Learn about the relationship between angular velocity and tangential acceleration
  • Explore the effects of changing radius on angular and radial acceleration
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Students studying physics, particularly those focusing on mechanics and circular motion, as well as educators seeking to clarify the concepts of radial and angular acceleration.

Dv3k
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Homework Statement



State the Relatrionship between radial and angular acceleration.


Homework Equations



Well I presume the equations would be "radial acceleration = v(squared)/radius"

The Attempt at a Solution



I cannot find the equation for radial AND angular acceleration??

I know this may seem trivial but I'm a novice in this part of the course

thanks..
 
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Dv3k said:

Homework Statement



State the Relatrionship between radial and angular acceleration.


Homework Equations



Well I presume the equations would be "radial acceleration = v(squared)/radius"

The Attempt at a Solution



I cannot find the equation for radial AND angular acceleration??

I know this may seem trivial but I'm a novice in this part of the course

thanks..

there is no relation that I can see. The angular acceleration alpha is related to the *tangential* acceleration a_T by
\alpha = \frac{a_T}{R}. But this does not involve the radial acceleration (which is related to the derivative of the speed). If you move at constant speed in a circle, for example, a_T and alpha are zero but a_r is not zero.
 
nrqed said:
there is no relation that I can see.

Could they just be looking for something like 'they are perpendicular to one another'? As you say, there certainly isn't an automatic algebraic relation to one another.
 
nrqed said:
there is no relation that I can see. The angular acceleration alpha is related to the *tangential* acceleration a_T by
\alpha = \frac{a_T}{R}. But this does not involve the radial acceleration (which is related to the derivative of the speed). If you move at constant speed in a circle, for example, a_T and alpha are zero but a_r is not zero.

hi thanks for all your help

turns out that they were looking for a_T=r * "alpha"

maybe there was a misprint?

Thanks for all your help neway.

:)
 
Dv3k said:
hi thanks for all your help

turns out that they were looking for a_T=r * "alpha"

maybe there was a misprint?

Thanks for all your help neway.

:)

And that's exactly the relation I posted :-)

Yes, there must have been a misprint in the question. They meant to ask : what is the relationship between the angular acceleration and the tangential acceleration !

You are welcome
 
What I want to know is, for example, if you have a ball in a string and let it rotate in a circle, what happens with the spin rate if you pull the string? Will it spin faster? I mean, f=m*v*v/r. If you increase f, will v increase too? (A side effect is that the center of rotation will move). In other words, how do you combine rotation with linear acceleration like this? If you hold the string in your hand, it is obvious that you can make it spin faster by moving the hand up and down. But what are the equations?
 
According to my knowledge.
{
Radial acceleration (a_r) (or centripetal) is the acceleration that points to center of circular motion and causes it to turn. Then Tangential acceleration (a_t) in tangent to the circle and causes the particle to change speed.

a_r and a_t are components of an overall acceleration a, which, according to definition, is the change rate of velocity with time.
If a_t = 0, then a = a_r and the motion is circular uniform; if a_r = 0, then a = a_t and the motion is linear (no curvature).
If neither a_t nor a_r is zero, the motion will follow a generic curved trajectory.

Angular acceleration is the rate of change of angular velocity w with time. Its symbol is usually alpha (don't confound it with the angular displacement), and its unit is rad/s².
Since w = V/r, then alpha = a_t / r.
}
zahidbashirsoomro@yahoo.com
 
Last edited:

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