What is Centripetal: Definition and 1000 Discussions

A centripetal force (from Latin centrum, "center" and petere, "to seek") is a force that makes a body follow a curved path. Its direction is always orthogonal to the motion of the body and towards the fixed point of the instantaneous center of curvature of the path. Isaac Newton described it as "a force by which bodies are drawn or impelled, or in any way tend, towards a point as to a centre". In Newtonian mechanics, gravity provides the centripetal force causing astronomical orbits.
One common example involving centripetal force is the case in which a body moves with uniform speed along a circular path. The centripetal force is directed at right angles to the motion and also along the radius towards the centre of the circular path. The mathematical description was derived in 1659 by the Dutch physicist Christiaan Huygens.

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  1. M

    Requesting help with centripetal acceleration homework

    Homework Statement A hockey puck of mass m = 80 g is attached to a string that passes through a hole in the center of a table, as shown in the figure below. The hockey puck moves in a circle of radius r = 1.10 m. Tied to the other end of the string, and hanging vertically beneath the table, is...
  2. N

    Centripetal Force Banked Curves

    Homework Statement This is a conceptual issue which I am trying to understand: When you are describing a vehicle traveling on a banked curve, force parallel (the force which is found to be parallel to the surface of the road pointing down the bank) is omitted from the FBD and the equations...
  3. F

    The change in magnitude of centripetal acceleration

    When an object (e.g. racecar) moves around in circles with constant tangential velocity, constant centripetal acceleration is present. What happens to the centripetal acceleration when the racecar is at rest, then increases its speed? I know that the tangential velocity increases due to the...
  4. W

    Centripetal Lab- finding the mass from the slope

    Homework Statement The lab: Centripetal Force Lab a Rubber stopper is moving in a horizontal circle at a constant radius and it is attached to a string where at the bottom, there is a mass where the mass is 100g, 150g, 200g, 250, and 300g (can see image attached) from the lab, I collected...
  5. J

    How Do You Calculate Centripetal Acceleration in a Blood Centrifuge?

    Homework Statement A centrifuge is a laboratory device used for spinning samples of material. In a blood centrifuge, a test tube is inserted at an angle θ=32.0° with respect to the vertical and the whole sample is spun at high speed. For a typical test that is l= 15.9 cm long and is spun in...
  6. baldbrain

    'They' haven't considered centripetal acceleration

    Homework Statement A train is moving counter-clockwise with a constant speed of 10 m/s in a circle of radius ##\frac {16} π## m. The plane of the circle lies in the x-y plane. At time t = 0, the train is at P, when a stone is thrown from it with a speed of 10 m/s relative to the train towards...
  7. Urmi

    Gravitation sum related to Centripetal Acceleration

    Homework Statement The distance between the centres of the Earth and the moon is 60 times the radius of the earth. Calculate the centripetal acceleration of the moon. Acceleration due to gravity on the Earth's surface is 10m/s. Homework Equations Centripetal acceleration= v^2/R Orbital...
  8. Beth N

    Centripetal Force: Find banking angle on a roadway

    Homework Statement Problem 6.7[/B] Radius of curve: 200m Speed: 90 km/h=90000m/h What should be the value of the banking angle if no dependence is to be placed on friction?Homework Equations ##F=ma## ##F_c=\frac {mv^2} {r}## ##w=mg## Trig functionsThe Attempt at a SolutionI got an...
  9. babaliaris

    Uniform Circular Motion and Centripetal Acceleration (non-intuitive)

    I'm in the chapter of Uniform Circular Motion and I have a hard time understating centipetal acceleration. Until now I knew that acceleration describes "how fast velocity changes in magnitude" except projectile motion because when it reaches maximum height then g is going to change the direction...
  10. P

    Centripetal Acceleration of Satellite

    Homework Statement Hi, I am stuck on this question: A satellite of mass 1200 kg is in orbit around the Earth at a distance of 22000 km from the centre of the Earth. Calculate the magnitude of the centripetal acceleration of the satellite at this distance. The Attempt at a Solution I did...
  11. navneet9431

    Why does friction play the role of centripetal force?

    What makes frictional force the centripetal force of a car turning along a curve? As friction is the opposing force and acts anti-parallel so there is no component of frictional force towards the center,right? Then how can frictional force be centripetal force?
  12. Edemardil

    Help with a few homework questions on force:

    Homework Statement 1) A moonshiner makes the error of filling a glass jar to the brim and capping it tightly. The moonshine expands more than the glass when it warms up, in such a way that the volume increases by 0.6% (that is, ΔV/V0 = 6 ✕ 10-3) relative to the space available. Calculate the...
  13. J

    Exploring Centripetal Force and Energy Recovery in Space | Jerry Ray Walz Jr."

    This is supposed to be: Centripetal Force, not Centrifugal. This post is heavily edited. This post actually originated from me thinking about designing a space game, and the first thing that I think about when it comes to games and movies, is how unrealistic they are. So it may be quite...
  14. jybe

    Given speed/mass find R (centripetal)

    Homework Statement 1) A 50kg person drives a car at 8.3m/s over a hump in the road. At the top of the hump, the driver feels a force of 143 N from the seat. What is the radius of the hump? 2) At what speed will the car need to move over the hump for the person to feel weightless at the top...
  15. A

    Difference between radial and centripetal acceleration?

    Homework Statement I'm not understanding the difference between them, this is for Uniform Circular Motion. Homework Equations ar = -ac = -v2/r The Attempt at a Solution So what i know is radial acceleration goes in a direction towards the radius (perpendicular to velocity), and tangential...
  16. Senim Silla

    Yacht going around a track - circular motion

    Homework Statement A model yacht runs on a horizontal frictionless oval track as shown (viewed from above) in the figure. The curved parts of the track are semi-circles of radius ##R = 0.5 m##; the straight sides have length ##L = 1 m##. The mass of the yacht is ##m = 0.5 kg.## A force of...
  17. Jan Berkhout

    Having trouble working out centripetal force?

    Homework Statement The Russian Mir space station had a mass of 130 tonnes and orbited Earth at an altitude of 480km with an orbital speed of 7621.4m/s. The diameter of Earth is 12 760 km. a) What centripetal force was acting on it? b) Find the value of the acceleration due to...
  18. P

    Why is the force of the spring equal to the centripetal force?

    Homework Statement A string is rotated around a point with a radius of 4 meters. Calculate the potential energy stored in the spring Homework Equations F = KX The Attempt at a Solution The solution to the problem involves making the force of a spring equal to the centripetal force. I don't...
  19. J

    Gravitation - gravity force, centripetal aceleration, work

    1Problem: Two equal satellite, A and B, of a planet of mass M, describe circular trajectories where the radious are 0,5r and r. We can afirm that: A- The intensity of gravitical force acting on B is half of the gravitical force acting on A; B- The value of centripetal aceleration of A is one...
  20. J

    Centripetal acceleration problem

    Homework Statement Hydroelectric power station's turbine has a diameter of 7.5m, and a rotation frequency of 94 rotations per minute. What is the turbine's blades acceleration? P.S. This is translated from another language Homework Equations a=4π2Rn2 Where n=rotational frequencyThe Attempt at...
  21. T

    Centripetal Force Homework: Find Car Speed to Lose Contact w/ Road

    Homework Statement Find the speed at which a car of mass M will lose contact with the frictionless road Homework Equations Centripetal/Centrifugal forces (maybe?) The Attempt at a Solution I used OneNote to attempt this problem[/B]...
  22. isukatphysics69

    Find acceleration and centripetal force

    Homework Statement Rank the rate at which the direction of each object's velocity is changing, greatest first. Homework Equations n/a The Attempt at a Solution I know a centripetal = v^2/r, but i don't have r so i am not sure if i am supposed to just eyeball it and draw a reference circle or...
  23. almosthavoc

    Centripetal forces | finding coeff of friction with only velocity

    Homework Statement I don't remember exactly what the question was because it was on a quiz today. It said something along the lines of "a ladybug is on a turntable and begins to slip at .5 m/s. Find the coefficient of friction. Homework Equations Fc = (mv^2)/r a = v^2/r Ff = uFn I think...
  24. E

    Can gasses be contained with centripetal force?

    Not sure if this is the right place to post or even a stupid question but anyway. If you had a chamber of gas and released it out of a barrel with force it would disapate into the air right? My question is, if you were to do this but somehow spin the gas particles so that they held themselves...
  25. J

    Centripetal Force & Gas Centrifuges

    Hi, I am studying circular motion at the moment and we were asked to go away and find an example of a device which has a very large centripetal acceleration. Initially I found a washing machine has up to about 300g but then I was looking at nuclear enrichment gas centrifuges which have huge...
  26. Luigi Fortunati

    Appearence and reality -- centripetal and centrifugal forces....

    For each action there is an equal and opposite reaction (third principle), and no one would ever think to say that the action is "real" and the reaction is "apparent". Also the centripetal force is an "action" to which (as it happens for all the actions) it corresponds *always* an equal and...
  27. L

    Question regarding centripetal acceleration/period

    Homework Statement A satellite orbits the Earth every 6.0 hours in a circle. Radius = 70,000 km a) What is the period of rotation? b) What is the acceleration of the satellite? Homework Equations a = v2/r Fc = mv2/r v = 2pir/T The Attempt at a Solution For a, I converted 6 hours into 21600...
  28. P

    Effects of centripetal force on longer objects

    I have a question. What will happen if you have a long object let’s say a person was lassoed by their feet and spun around by a super strong machine or person. Since the persons head of who is being spun is moving at a much faster tangential velocity then let’s say their feet. If the rope is cut...
  29. G

    Power given to particle by centripetal forces

    Homework Statement A particle of mass m is moving in a circular path of constant radius r such that its centripetal acceleration a varies with time t as a = k2rt2, where k is a constant. Show that the power delivered to the particle by the forces acting on it is mk4r2t5/3. [/B] I have solved...
  30. Ryan Reed

    Relative Centripetal Acceleration

    Let's say you have two rings. Both rings have the same radius and are aligned so that the holes are perfectly parallel to each other and a straight line can be drawn through them without interference. Both rings spin along the same axis with the same speed, but in opposite directions. If you...
  31. K

    Centripetal motion, the tension at the bottom of a circle

    Homework Statement A mass m, at one end of a string of length L, rotates in a vertical circle just fast enough to prevent the string from going slack at the top of the circle. Assuming mechanical energy is conserved, the tension in the string at the bottom of the circle is: a) 6 mg b) mg +...
  32. L

    Need help explaining this Centripetal force problem

    Homework Statement Homework Equations T = mv^2/r Fc = mv^2/r The Attempt at a Solution I'm aware that at the bottom of this motion, that the tension force is greater than the weight. And that the tension force at the top is weaker so we added T + mg = mv^2/R. for th bottom, it's T-mg =...
  33. ferrariistheking

    Centripetal Force and circular motion

    Homework Statement Gravity causes a centripetal force that allows satellites to travel around planets. How fast must a 102-kg satellite travel to maintain a circular orbit 352 km above Earth's surface? Homework Equations F=m(v^2/r) -----> (F/m) x r= v^2, then square root F= force m=mass...
  34. Biochemgirl2002

    How do I draw a FBD for centripetal force

    The question Sometimes road surfaces have banked curves, use a FBD to explain how it helps cars make turns more safely My trial: I drew this FBD (attached below) And I think it helps make driving more safe because the Fn acting on the car is pointed more towards the middle of the curve...
  35. Pedgepoke

    Vertical Circles Centripetal Acceleration

    Homework Statement A jet pilot takes his aircraft in a vertical loop. V is 840 km/hr (233.3 m/s) find the min. radius of the loop to that the centripetal acceleration at the bottom does not exceed 6 Gs. Homework Equations a = v^2 / r F = ma The Attempt at a Solution I don't know where to...
  36. M

    Centripetal force throughout a vertical circle

    Homework Statement In what position in vertical circular motion is the centripetal force the greatest? Top, Bottom, Left, or Right Homework Equations Can someone explain how Fc is greatest at the top? The Attempt at a Solution I had reasoned that since centripetal acceleration which I will...
  37. P

    Question regarding centripetal force

    Hi just have a basic question. Just went to the local fair yesterday and road the Gravitron ride. The ride that sucks you to the walls. I became curious on the physics that cause you to get stuck to the wall so I have been researching centripetal force. Now it seems that the seats are...
  38. L

    Centripetal Force / circular motion question

    Homework Statement I'm not asking for a full on solution to my question, but instead wanted to know what was the difference in these two questions. So, here are the two questions 1) A space station of radius 90 m is rotating to simulate a gravitational field. What is the period of the space...
  39. R

    Tangential and centripetal force

    Homework Statement The canister of a juicer has 333 grams of pulp distributed over its inside wall at an average radius of 8.00cm. It starts from rest and reaches its maximum angular speed of 3600.0 rpm in 4.00 seconds. For the pulp, determine ( f ) the tangential and centripetal force on it...
  40. Richer Su

    Centripetal Force Homework: Effect of Increasing Mass on Revolutions

    Homework Statement Refer to this pic https://www2.southeastern.edu/Academics/Faculty/rallain/plab193/page1/page37/page37.htmlor I was wondering how increasing the mass at the bottom would influence the time taken for the object to complete 10 revolutions, my hypothesis was that it would...
  41. S

    Radius and centripetal relation

    Homework Statement the file given Homework Equations F=mv^2/r The Attempt at a Solution I do not understand why the centripetal force is 2a and not 2/a since the radius of X is twice longer. When I use the equation above, raidius is inversely proportional to the acceleration. Is radius...
  42. S

    Derivation of an expression for centripetal acceleration

    Homework Statement I have derived the expression for the velocity of the satellite v= root of GM/r however I'm struggling to derive an expression for the centripetal acceleration of a satellite orbiting Earth. Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution I'm not entirely sure which equations to...
  43. H

    Varying mass- finding centripetal force

    Homework Statement I have another problem with a similar thread title but they are not the same, I'd love help with either or both. Ran trials with varying mass, but radius and centripetal force as constants. Must find experimental radius from the best fit slope. I have already finished the...
  44. H

    Finding experimental Centripetal force from F=4pi^2rM/T^2

    Homework Statement I have a second problem I need assistance with but I'll put it in its own thread. Used centripetal apparatus to run trials with varying radii but constant mass and calibration weight (mg). I have already plotted T^2 vs r^2 and got a slope of 16.5 from the best fit. I now...
  45. S

    Slope of Force vs Frequency^2 and Radius vs Period^2 Graphs

    Homework Statement An experiment that involved swinging a mass in a circle was conducted. After graphing both sets of data, I obtained linear graphs of which I calculated the slopes for. I got a slope of 3.5 for the force vs frequency^2 graph and a slope of 0.73 for the radius vs period^2...
  46. N

    Centripetal Acceleration Problem: Finding Angular Speed

    Hi all, I've been lurking around the forums for a while to get help with homework but I figured I'd finally make an account to get direct feedback. I'm having problems with this centripetal acceleration problem, Homework Statement "In an old-fashioned amusement park ride, passengers stand...
  47. F

    Net Force and Centripetal Force relation

    Hello Everyone, Question about the centripetal force: the centripetal force is the name given to the component of the net force acting on the object in a direction perpendicular to the object's trajectory and directed towards the center of the osculating circle. This net force component causes...
  48. S

    Calculating Train Speed Using Centripetal Force | 15° Angle, 150m Radius

    Homework Statement There is a subway derailed. Radius of an unbanked curve is 150 m. An unused strap hangs at a 15 degrees angle to the vertical just before the accident. Did the train exceed 35 km/h and what speed was it at just before the accident. Homework Equations F=ma=m(v^2/r)The Attempt...
  49. S

    Is the centripetal force a projection of tension?

    Well, this might be the stupidest question ever, but whatever. I was just thinking about a problem where a pendulum is attached to something that spins around itself (image below) and thought that maybe Centripetal Force might be a projection of tension on a vector that is perpendicular to ω...
  50. R

    How does the kinetic energy of a swinging ball change with respect to height?

    Homework Statement Imagine a ball on a string that we swing vertically so that the hight changes. By conservation of energy the velocity of the ball must change right? Because at the highest point of the swing it will have maximum GPE but at the bottom, minimum right? Watching many videos has...
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