Radial and transeverse acceleration

[gianeshwar]

Particle is traveling along a plane smooth curve.At any point an acceleration is
1 . Resultant of radial and transeverse components?
2. Resultant of tangential and normal components?
Are both 1 and 2 valid?

 

[tiny-tim]

hi gianeshwar!

tell us what you think, and why, and then we'll comment!

 

[Chestermiller]

Particle is traveling along a plane smooth curve.At any point an acceleration is
1 . Resultant of radial and transeverse components?
2. Resultant of tangential and normal components?
Are both 1 and 2 valid?

Not only are they valid, but they are both the same thing: normal = radial, and tangential = transverse.

 

[tiny-tim]

no, i think "radial" in this case is from the origin

 

[voko]

Not only are they valid, but they are both the same thing: normal = radial, and tangential = transverse.

Normal and tangential are directions in the Frenet-Serret frame. Radial and transverse are directions in the polar coordinate frame. They coincide identically only when the curve is a circle about the polar system's origin.

 

[Chestermiller]

Normal and tangential are directions in the Frenet-Serret frame. Radial and transverse are directions in the polar coordinate frame. They coincide identically only when the curve is a circle about the polar system's origin.

I guess I learned something new. I've never heard of transverse used for polar coordinates. I would have called it circumferential. Go figure.

Chet

 

[voko]

I think it is also called azimuthal. There is also confusion about centripetal, whether it is "radial" or "normal". I have been confused myself :)