Relationship between radial and angular acceleration

In summary, the relationship between radial and angular acceleration is that they are components of overall acceleration. Radial acceleration (a_r) points towards the center of circular motion and causes it to turn, while tangential acceleration (a_t) is tangent to the circle and causes the particle to change speed. If a_t = 0, the motion is circular and uniform, while if a_r = 0, the motion is linear. Angular acceleration (alpha) is the rate of change of angular velocity (w) and is related to tangential acceleration as alpha = a_t / r.
  • #1
Dv3k
2
0

Homework Statement



State the Relatrionship between radial and angular acceleration.


Homework Equations



Well I presume the equations would be "radial acceleration = v(squared)/radius"

The Attempt at a Solution



I cannot find the equation for radial AND angular acceleration??

I know this may seem trivial but I'm a novice in this part of the course

thanks..
 
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  • #2
Dv3k said:

Homework Statement



State the Relatrionship between radial and angular acceleration.


Homework Equations



Well I presume the equations would be "radial acceleration = v(squared)/radius"

The Attempt at a Solution



I cannot find the equation for radial AND angular acceleration??

I know this may seem trivial but I'm a novice in this part of the course

thanks..

there is no relation that I can see. The angular acceleration alpha is related to the *tangential* acceleration a_T by
[tex] \alpha = \frac{a_T}{R} [/tex]. But this does not involve the radial acceleration (which is related to the derivative of the speed). If you move at constant speed in a circle, for example, a_T and alpha are zero but a_r is not zero.
 
  • #3
nrqed said:
there is no relation that I can see.

Could they just be looking for something like 'they are perpendicular to one another'? As you say, there certainly isn't an automatic algebraic relation to one another.
 
  • #4
nrqed said:
there is no relation that I can see. The angular acceleration alpha is related to the *tangential* acceleration a_T by
[tex] \alpha = \frac{a_T}{R} [/tex]. But this does not involve the radial acceleration (which is related to the derivative of the speed). If you move at constant speed in a circle, for example, a_T and alpha are zero but a_r is not zero.

hi thanks for all your help

turns out that they were looking for a_T=r * "alpha"

maybe there was a misprint?

Thanks for all your help neway.

:)
 
  • #5
Dv3k said:
hi thanks for all your help

turns out that they were looking for a_T=r * "alpha"

maybe there was a misprint?

Thanks for all your help neway.

:)

And that's exactly the relation I posted :-)

Yes, there must have been a misprint in the question. They meant to ask : what is the relationship between the angular acceleration and the tangential acceleration !

You are welcome
 
  • #6
What I want to know is, for example, if you have a ball in a string and let it rotate in a circle, what happens with the spin rate if you pull the string? Will it spin faster? I mean, f=m*v*v/r. If you increase f, will v increase too? (A side effect is that the center of rotation will move). In other words, how do you combine rotation with linear acceleration like this? If you hold the string in your hand, it is obvious that you can make it spin faster by moving the hand up and down. But what are the equations?
 
  • #7
According to my knowledge.
{
Radial acceleration (a_r) (or centripetal) is the acceleration that points to center of circular motion and causes it to turn. Then Tangential acceleration (a_t) in tangent to the circle and causes the particle to change speed.

a_r and a_t are components of an overall acceleration a, which, according to definition, is the change rate of velocity with time.
If a_t = 0, then a = a_r and the motion is circular uniform; if a_r = 0, then a = a_t and the motion is linear (no curvature).
If neither a_t nor a_r is zero, the motion will follow a generic curved trajectory.

Angular acceleration is the rate of change of angular velocity w with time. Its symbol is usually alpha (don't confound it with the angular displacement), and its unit is rad/s².
Since w = V/r, then alpha = a_t / r.
}
zahidbashirsoomro@yahoo.com
 
Last edited:

What is the relationship between radial and angular acceleration?

The relationship between radial and angular acceleration can be described by the equation: ar = rα, where ar is the radial acceleration, r is the radius, and α is the angular acceleration.

How are radial and angular acceleration related to each other in circular motion?

In circular motion, radial acceleration and angular acceleration are directly proportional to each other. This means that as one increases, the other also increases. This is because radial acceleration is caused by a change in direction, which is directly related to the change in angular velocity caused by angular acceleration.

Can radial acceleration exist without angular acceleration?

No, radial acceleration cannot exist without angular acceleration. This is because radial acceleration is caused by a change in direction, which is directly related to the change in angular velocity caused by angular acceleration. In other words, if there is no change in angular velocity (no angular acceleration), there can be no change in direction (no radial acceleration).

How does the direction of radial acceleration relate to the direction of angular acceleration?

The direction of radial acceleration is always perpendicular to the direction of motion, while the direction of angular acceleration is parallel to the axis of rotation. This means that the two directions are always at right angles to each other.

Can the magnitude of radial acceleration be greater than the magnitude of angular acceleration?

Yes, the magnitude of radial acceleration can be greater than the magnitude of angular acceleration. This can occur in situations where there is a small radius and a large angular acceleration, resulting in a high radial acceleration value. However, the direction of radial acceleration is always perpendicular to the direction of motion, while the direction of angular acceleration is parallel to the axis of rotation.

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