Question about circular motion and acceleration

In summary, circular motion can be described using the equations V = rw and a = rα. These equations show that the magnitude of velocity is rω and the magnitude of acceleration is rα, but this is not the total acceleration. The total acceleration is given by the time derivative of the speed, which is only affected by acceleration in the direction parallel to the velocity. Any acceleration orthogonal to the velocity will only change the direction, not the speed.
  • #1
parshyaa
307
19
In circular motion
1) V = rw and ##\vec V## = r ω##\vec e_{tan}##
2) a = rα and ##\vec a## = -##\frac{v^2}{r}####\vec e_{rad}## + rα##\vec e_{tan}##
Where ##\vec e_{tan}## is the unit vector along the tangent in increasing direction of θ
And ##\vec e_{rad}## is the unit vector along the radial outward.
From 1) we see that rω is the magnitude of velocity of particle executing circular motion and its direction is along tangent
But in 2) we see that magnitude of acceleration is rα but this is not the magnitude of total acceleration
How could you explain that rα is not the magnitude of total α
 
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  • #2
parshyaa said:
But in 2) we see that magnitude of acceleration is rα
This is not correct. It only describes the tangential acceleration.
 
  • #3
Orodruin said:
This is not correct. It only describes the tangemtial acceleration.
I know that, this is not the magnitude of acceleration, it will be root of the sum of the square of components in both tangential and radical direction, but in v=rω its the total magnitude of the velocity and in a= rα its not the magnitude of total acceleration, its just the magnitude along the tangent, this is what not satisfying me, in the previous case total magnitude is same as v= rw, but this is not the case with accelaration, why is this so
 
  • #4
Take a general velocity ##\vec v##. Its magnitude, i.e., the speed, ##v## satisfies ##v^2 = \vec v^2## which means that the time derivative ##\dot v## of the speed is given by the time derivative of this expression as
$$
\frac{dv^2}{dt} = 2v\dot v = \frac{d\vec v^2}{dt} = 2\vec v \cdot \frac{d\vec v}{dt} = 2\vec v \cdot \vec a.
\quad
\Longrightarrow
\quad
\dot v = \frac{\vec v \cdot \vec a}{v^2}.
$$
Hence, only the acceleration in the direction parallel to ##\vec v## matters for the change in the speed. Any acceleration orthogonal to the velocity will only change the direction, but not the speed.
 
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Likes parshyaa
  • #5
Orodruin said:
Take a general velocity ##\vec v##. Its magnitude, i.e., the speed, ##v## satisfies ##v^2 = \vec v^2## which means that the time derivative ##\dot v## of the speed is given by the time derivative of this expression as
$$
\frac{dv^2}{dt} = 2v\dot v = \frac{d\vec v^2}{dt} = 2\vec v \cdot \frac{d\vec v}{dt} = 2\vec v \cdot \vec a.
\quad
\Longrightarrow
\quad
\dot v = \frac{\vec v \cdot \vec a}{v^2}.
$$
Hence, only the acceleration in the direction parallel to ##\vec v## matters for the change in the speed. Any acceleration orthogonal to the velocity will only change the direction, but not the speed.
Wonderfull explanation, just replace v^2 by v
Thank you so much, for this explanation
 

1. What is circular motion?

Circular motion is a type of motion in which an object moves along a circular path. This means that the object's distance from a fixed point remains constant, but its direction keeps changing.

2. What is the difference between uniform and non-uniform circular motion?

Uniform circular motion is when an object moves along a circular path at a constant speed, while non-uniform circular motion is when the speed of the object changes as it moves along the circular path.

3. How is acceleration calculated in circular motion?

Acceleration in circular motion can be calculated using the formula a = v^2/r, where "a" is the centripetal acceleration, "v" is the velocity of the object, and "r" is the radius of the circular path.

4. What is centripetal force?

Centripetal force is the force that keeps an object moving in a circular path. It acts towards the center of the circular path and is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by the centripetal acceleration.

5. How does the radius of the circular path affect the acceleration in circular motion?

The radius of the circular path is directly proportional to the acceleration in circular motion. This means that as the radius increases, the acceleration decreases, and vice versa. This is because a larger radius means a longer distance to travel in the same amount of time, resulting in a slower speed and lower acceleration.

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