Understanding Circular Motion: Accelerations and Inertial Forces

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of circular motion, specifically focusing on the types of accelerations involved and the nature of inertial forces acting on a particle in accelerated motion.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the classification of accelerations in circular motion, questioning the validity of angular, centripetal, and linear accelerations. There is also a discussion on the relationship between inertial forces and linear acceleration.

Discussion Status

The conversation is active, with various interpretations of the types of accelerations being discussed. Some participants provide insights into the relationship between different accelerations, while others seek clarification on the definitions and implications of these concepts.

Contextual Notes

There appears to be some ambiguity regarding the definitions of linear acceleration and its relationship to centripetal acceleration, as well as the role of inertial forces in this context. Participants are navigating these complexities without reaching a definitive consensus.

coldfusion
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How many accelerations are there in circular motion ?
1) Angular
2) Centripetal
3) Linear
is this right ?
and if a particle in accelerated motion always experiences an intertial force,
does an inertial force act opposite to linear acceleration ?
 
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I am assuming that the Linear Acceleration is the acceleration from the center of mass.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Circular motion is two dimensional. There can only be two independent accelerations.

Your (1) and (3) are related to each other through the radius.
 
If an object is moving in a circle at a constant speed, then the only acceleration is "centripetal", toward the center of the circle. If the speed is changing (i.e. the length of the velocity vector is not constant) then there will also be a component of acceleration tangent to the circle- which is what I think you mean by "linear acceleration". In that case the angular velocity would also change: there will be angular acceleration but, as Gokul43201 said, that is proportional to the linear acceleration, they are not independent.
 

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