Perpendicular position vector and velocity?

Click For Summary

Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a physics question regarding scenarios where the velocity of a particle is always perpendicular to its position vector. Participants explore various examples and concepts related to this topic.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants suggest examples such as satellites in circular orbits and electrons in magnetic fields. Some explore the concept of uniform circular motion and its relation to the position and velocity vectors.

Discussion Status

There is an ongoing exploration of examples that fit the criteria of the question. Some participants provide insights and clarify concepts, while others express uncertainty about their understanding of the topic.

Contextual Notes

One participant notes that they are approaching this question before formal instruction on the topic, indicating a potential gap in foundational knowledge.

quiksilver
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
I have been struggling with this question for a little while now and after drawing pictures and such I just cannot think of a situation in which this is possible. I was wondering if somebody with a little bit more physics knowledge could enlighten me :rolleyes: ? Here it is:

"Describe a situation in which the velocity of a particle is always perpendicular to the particle's position vector."
 
Physics news on Phys.org
How about a satellite moving in a circular orbit around a planet? Or an electron moving in a uniform magnetic field?
 
In uniform cirucular motion, the velocity vector is tangent to the circle at each point. The position vector is a vector from the origin to the point corresponding to its position... thus if your circle has its center at the origin, then this would be an example of what you described.
 
Tangent is perpendicular to a point on a circle...a real life example like a satellite orbiting a planet.

My problem is that I haven't learned about this yet, this is a pre-class question...so I was not thinking in circular motion I was stuck in linear thought so all of my situations weren't coming out right...thanks for the help
 
Go into the particle's rest frame, and position it wherever you'd like there.
Since the velocity is the zero vector, the velocity vector is perpendicular to the position vector..:wink:
 

Similar threads

Replies
1
Views
1K
  • · Replies 30 ·
2
Replies
30
Views
3K
Replies
2
Views
3K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Replies
5
Views
2K
Replies
7
Views
2K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
3K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
2K
Replies
3
Views
1K