Centripetal acceleration problem

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a problem involving an object moving at constant speed along a circular path in a horizontal xy plane. The original poster seeks to determine the object's velocity and acceleration when it is at a specific position, given its velocity at another position.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the relationship between linear and angular velocity, the nature of centripetal acceleration, and the implications of uniform circular motion. Some express confusion about how to find centripetal acceleration without knowing "omega". Others question the correctness of the provided answers and the reasoning behind them.

Discussion Status

Several participants have offered insights into the problem, discussing the object's motion and the calculations involved. There is an ongoing exploration of the concepts related to circular motion, but no consensus has been reached regarding the interpretations or calculations presented.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the importance of understanding the relationship between velocity and acceleration in circular motion, as well as the need for clarity on the definitions and assumptions regarding the motion of the object.

RadiationX
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I have the solution to this problem but I'm not understanding the concept behind the solution.

An object moves at constant speed along a circular path in a horizontal xy plane,with the center at the origin.When the object is at [tex]x=-2m[/tex] its velocity is [tex]-(4m/s)[/tex] in the J (hat) direction. Give the objects velocity and acceleration when it is at y=2m.


the answers -(4ms) in the i (hat) direction and -(8ms^s) in the j (hat direction)
 
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I really don't see a way to find the centripetal acceleration.You'd basically need "omega".What about the answer for the velocity...?To me,it seems 2 as big as it should be.

Daniel.
 
RadiationX said:
I have the solution to this problem but I'm not understanding the concept behind the solution.

An object moves at constant speed along a circular path in a horizontal xy plane,with the center at the origin.When the object is at [tex]x=-2m[/tex] its velocity is [tex]-(4m/s)[/tex] in the J (hat) direction. Give the objects velocity and acceleration when it is at y=2m.


the answers -(4ms) in the i (hat) direction and -(8ms^s) in the j (hat direction)
For the given uniform circular motion around the origin, the velocity "v" will have constant magnitude and be perpendicular to a radius drawn from the origin (center) to the object's position on the circle. When the object's velocity "v" is (-4 m/s)j at x=(-2 m), the radius from origin to object will lie along the x-axis, and therefore the object must be crossing the negative x-axis x=(-2 m). Thus, the circle radius is r=(2 m), and the object is moving counter-clockwise.

When the object is at y=(+2 m), it will be crossing the positive y-axis (since the circle's radius is r=2) in the counter-clockwise direction with the same magnitude as before. Thus, its velocity here is v=(-4 m/s)i. The acceleration "A" at this point must be perpendicular to its path and directed towards the circle's center. Hence, it will have direction (-1)j and magnitude (v^2)/r. Using the values for |v|=(4) and r=(2) yields A=(-8 m/sec^2)j.
~
 
Last edited:
RadiationX said:
I have the solution to this problem but I'm not understanding the concept behind the solution.

An object moves at constant speed along a circular path in a horizontal xy plane,with the center at the origin.When the object is at [tex]x=-2m[/tex] its velocity is [tex]-(4m/s)[/tex] in the J (hat) direction. Give the objects velocity and acceleration when it is at y=2m.


the answers -(4ms) in the i (hat) direction and -(8ms^s) in the j (hat direction)

it is uniform circular motion... at any time the speed is constant

at x = -2 m the object is moving in -j direction only, and we immediately know that the object travels with speed 4 m/s in a circular path of radius 2 m in anti-clockwise direction.

so at y = 2 m, the x coordinate should be zero. and the velocity should be in -i direction. since there's not j component, v = -4 m/s i

and you just substitude numbers in the formula you should get the centripetal acceration
 
RadiationX said:
I have the solution to this problem but I'm not understanding the concept behind the solution.

An object moves at constant speed along a circular path in a horizontal xy plane,with the center at the origin.When the object is at [tex]x=-2m[/tex] its velocity is [tex]-(4m/s)[/tex] in the J (hat) direction. Give the objects velocity and acceleration when it is at y=2m.


the answers -(4ms) in the i (hat) direction and -(8ms^s) in the j (hat direction)


By = - 2 m you mean the point (-2,0), don't you? If so, this point belongs to the circle the object moves along (see attached picture) and this means that the radius of the circle is r = 2 m. It is also clear that the object moves anti-clockwise. From the relation between the linear velocity and angular velocity you get [tex]\omega = 2[/tex] 1/s. The linear velocity is perpendicular to the radius, the speed is constant, so the velocity at P' ( 0,2) is
[tex]\vec{v} = -4 \vec {i}[/tex]
and the centripetal acceleration is
[tex]\vec {a} = - \omega^2 r \vec {j} = -8 \vec {j}[/tex]

ehild
 
Last edited:
thanks i got it
 

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