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Forces - Circular Motion
Bicycle wheels rotate with a circular motion.

Forces - Circular Motion

This Physics quiz is called 'Forces - Circular Motion' and it has been written by teachers to help you if you are studying the subject at senior high school. Playing educational quizzes is one of the most efficienct ways to learn if you are in the 11th or 12th grade - aged 16 to 18.

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The International Space Station (the ISS) is a temporary home to astronauts of many different nationalities. It orbits the Earth with a period of about one and a half hours, moving at a speed of almost 28,000 kilometers per hour. Its path across the sky is entirely predictable and it can be spotted easily crossing the night sky if you know where and when to look. Although its orbit is not entirely circular, it essentially follows the rules of circular motion.

Circular motion can be defined as a movement along a circular path. Newton's first law of motion states that a moving object will travel in a straight line at a constant velocity unless a force acts on it.

This means that in circular motion, there must be a force constantly acting on the object as it is constantly changing direction. This force is given the name centripetal and is a resultant force of the motion and whatever is causing the circular motion. Centripetal force is a virtual force and is provided by the action of something else.

In the case of the ISS, the Earth's gravity is responsible for the centripetal force. Be careful not to confuse centripetal force with centrifugal force - they act in opposite directions. Fairground rides are very good examples of circular motion, the centripetal force is provided by the framework of the ride. It is the centrifugal force that feels like it is trying to throw you off the ride that adds the excitement. There are many other examples of circular motion that are used in senior high school; vehicles going round a corner, a planet orbiting the Sun, a satellite orbiting a planet and throwing a discus or a hammer at an athletics event crop up quite often. In the senior high school exam, you need to be able to identify what is responsible for the centripetal force in specific examples and also what factors affect the magnitude of the force.

The magnitude of the centripetal force depends on the mass of the object that is moving in circular motion, the speed of the object and the radius of the circle in which it is traveling. Increasing the mass of the object will mean that the centripetal force required to keep it in circular motion will be greater. If all other things are equal, an object that is traveling with a greater speed will require a greater centripetal force to hold it in place. Unlike the other two factors, increasing the radius of the circle in which an object is traveling will actually decrease the centripetal force required to hold it on track. You may even be asked to explain why these factors affect the force in the way that they do.

The final thing to remember about circular motion is that it is an acceleration. Since the object is moving along a circular path, its direction of travel is constantly changing. This means that its velocity is also constantly changing (remember velocity is motion in a specific direction, it is a vector quantity). By definition, acceleration is a change in velocity so an object following a curved path must therefore be accelerating. Its speed remains the same.

1.
What can increase the centripetal force required to keep an object in uniform circular motion about a point?
The mass of the object
The speed of the object
The radius of the orbit
All of the above
An increase in mass and speed or a decrease in radius increases the centripetal force
2.
What name is given to the resultant force that acts towards the center of a circle?
Centrifugal
Centripetal
Centipede
Centimetre
You need to be able to identify what is responsible for the centripetal force, for example gravity for orbiting bodies
3.
Which force acts as the centripetal force responsible for the circular motion of planets orbiting the Sun?
Electrostatic force
Gravity
Tension (Pull)
Friction
Gravity is always a pulling force
4.
If the centripetal force acting on the Moon were to suddenly stop acting, what would happen to the Moon?
It would continue to orbit unaffected
It would come crashing to Earth
It would go flying off into space
It would be swallowed by the black hole that would result
It would behave in accordance with Newton's first law and continue on a straight path through space until influenced by another force. The direction of travel would be the directional component of the velocity at the instant that the force of gravity stopped
5.
What does increasing the acceleration of an object following uniform circular motion change?
Direction of motion
Speed of object
Both the direction and speed of the object
Neither speed nor direction
Acceleration is related to velocity so any answer that includes the word speed must be incorrect
6.
Which of the following is an example of uniform circular motion?
A ball traveling through space
An artificial satellite
Racing car
All of the above
Whilst a race car during a race will experience circular motion, it is not uniform circular motion. Strictly speaking, only satellites in geostationary orbits are circular, however, in the senior high school, artificial satellites are regarded as following circular motion rules
7.
An object moving in a circle continuously accelerates towards what?
A predefined point outside of the area of the circle
A path perpendicular to the surface of the circle
The center of the circle
None of the above
It accelerates towards the point of origin of the centripetal force
8.
Which force acts as the centripetal force responsible for a car traveling around a bend?
Friction
Electrostatic force
Gravity
Tension (Pull)
If the centripetal force required to maintain the circular motion of the car is greater than the friction of the tires against the road, the car skids. In wet conditions, friction is greatly reduced which is why you have to drive more slowly round corners when the road is wet
9.
If an object orbits around a point five meters away in three seconds, what will happen to the speed of the object if the object's orbit is increased to six meters?
Stays the same
Decrease
Increase
Impossible to tell
The speed will increase as the object will take the same time to complete one orbit. As the distance the object needs to travel increases, the speed must also increase to obey the laws of motion
10.
If a driver drives around a bend faster than normal, what happens to the size of the centripetal force needed to keep the car going around the bend?
It doesn't change
It increases
It decreases
The car will crash whatever happens
Make sure that you learn the factors that affect the magnitude of a centripetal force
Author:  Martin Moore

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