Why Doesn't Water Spill from a Bucket Tied to a String in Circular Motion?

AI Thread Summary
When a bucket of water is spun in a circle, the water does not spill due to the balance of forces acting on it. The centripetal force, which is directed inward, keeps the water in circular motion, while gravity pulls the water downwards. At the top of the circle, the gravitational force and the tension in the string work together to maintain the water's position. At the bottom, the tension in the string must be sufficient to counteract gravity and provide the necessary centripetal force. Understanding these forces clarifies why the water remains in the bucket during circular motion.
oliviecheng
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
a bucket of water is tied to a string and spun in a circle, why don’t the water spill out?can somebody help me explain detailly?


thx a lot
 
Physics news on Phys.org
If the bucket is going fast enough, the water will stay in a circle. What equations do you know?
 
Try thinking about the forces acting on the water (and the bucket) while the bucket is at the top and bottom of the circle. Draw a free body diagram or two, it should help you out a bit.

Hope that helps,
illu45
 
Hi, i just thought i would add a question to this, its not for my homework, but more for my own knowledge

how can you explain why the water stays in the bucket without using the centrifugal force? i understand the centripetal force pulling inwards, the gravitational force downwards, there is some tension on the rope, but i just need the final bit...?
 
Last edited:

Thread 'Errors and significant figures'

I multiplied the values first without the error limit. Got 19.38. rounded it off to 2 significant figures since the given data has 2 significant figures. So = 19. For error I used the above formula. It comes out about 1.48. Now my question is. Should I write the answer as 19±1.5 (rounding 1.48 to 2 significant figures) OR should I write it as 19±1. So in short, should the error have same number of significant figures as the mean value or should it have the same number of decimal places as...
View full post »
Thread 'A cylinder connected to a hanging mass'

Thread 'A cylinder connected to a hanging mass'

Let's declare that for the cylinder, mass = M = 10 kg Radius = R = 4 m For the wall and the floor, Friction coeff = ##\mu## = 0.5 For the hanging mass, mass = m = 11 kg First, we divide the force according to their respective plane (x and y thing, correct me if I'm wrong) and according to which, cylinder or the hanging mass, they're working on. Force on the hanging mass $$mg - T = ma$$ Force(Cylinder) on y $$N_f + f_w - Mg = 0$$ Force(Cylinder) on x $$T + f_f - N_w = Ma$$ There's also...
View full post »

Similar threads

Vertical circular motion
Replies
8
Views
2K
Force diagram of a spinning mass tied to a string
Replies
15
Views
3K
Circular Motion and centripetal acceleration
Replies
6
Views
3K
Bucket of water spinning in vertical circle
Replies
11
Views
4K
Acceleration in uniform circular motion is uniform or non-uniform?
2
Replies
55
Views
3K
A water-bottle demonstration of atmospheric pressure
Replies
6
Views
2K
Find the acceleration in circular motion
Replies
6
Views
2K
Speed of train car when sand spilling out from it
Replies
17
Views
4K
What Torque Is Required to Raise a Water Bucket from a Well?
Replies
5
Views
2K
What is the minimum frequency needed to spin a bucket without spilling water?
Replies
5
Views
3K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top