In circular motion, What does it mean s = r.θ?

AI Thread Summary
The equation s = rθ represents the relationship between arc length (s), radius (r), and angular displacement (θ in radians) in circular motion. It indicates that the arc length is directly proportional to the angle measured in radians. The proof of this relationship relies on the symmetry of the circle, leading to the conclusion that the constant of proportionality is the radius. When the angle is 2π radians, the corresponding arc length is 2πr, confirming that k equals the radius. This fundamental equation is essential for understanding circular motion dynamics.
HCverma
Messages
82
Reaction score
2
In the circular motion, What does it mean by this equation s = r.θ?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
S=rø is the formula for arc length, or angular displacement (ø rad).

R is the radius
Ø is the angle measure in radians.
 
arctheta.png


The scheme is not perfect but I think you get the idea...

If you want to know how this equation is proved:

Due to symmetry of the circle we can assume that the arc length ##s## will be directly proportional to the angle ##\theta##. So it will be

##s=k\theta## (1) for some constant k.

But we know for angle ##2\pi## corresponds arc length ##2\pi r##. So if we apply equation (1) for those pair of data we get

##2\pi r=k (2\pi)## from which we can deduce that the constant k is actually the radius of the circle, ##k=r##.
 

Attachments

  • arctheta.png
    arctheta.png
    7 KB · Views: 1,275
Last edited:
  • Like
Likes Dale
Thread 'Is 'Velocity of Transport' a Recognized Term in English Mechanics Literature?'
Here are two fragments from Banach's monograph in Mechanics I have never seen the term <<velocity of transport>> in English texts. Actually I have never seen this term being named somehow in English. This term has a name in Russian books. I looked through the original Banach's text in Polish and there is a Polish name for this term. It is a little bit surprising that the Polish name differs from the Russian one and also differs from this English translation. My question is: Is there...
This has been discussed many times on PF, and will likely come up again, so the video might come handy. Previous threads: https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/is-a-treadmill-incline-just-a-marketing-gimmick.937725/ https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/work-done-running-on-an-inclined-treadmill.927825/ https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/how-do-we-calculate-the-energy-we-used-to-do-something.1052162/
Hi there, im studying nanoscience at the university in Basel. Today I looked at the topic of intertial and non-inertial reference frames and the existence of fictitious forces. I understand that you call forces real in physics if they appear in interplay. Meaning that a force is real when there is the "actio" partner to the "reactio" partner. If this condition is not satisfied the force is not real. I also understand that if you specifically look at non-inertial reference frames you can...
Back
Top