Sph 100 Lecture 8 by Leon Abonyo

SPH 100: MECHANICS I
LECTURE 8: Uniform Circular Motion
Objectives:
By the end of this lecture you should be able to:
i. Define angular displacement, angular velocity, and angular
acceleration in uniform circular motion
ii. Relate centripetal acceleration and centripetal force in uniform
circular motion
8.0 Introduction
When a particle moves along a circular path, its instantaneous linear velocity v changes in
direction and may also change in magnitude. However if the magnitude does not change, the
particle is said to move in uniform circular motion (UCM). Physical quantities of interest in
UCM include angular displacement, angular velocity, tangential velocity, centripetal
acceleration, and centripetal force.
8.1 Angular Displacement
Suppose a particle moves in UCM from point A to B, the angle traversed  is called the
angular displacement.
B
s

r A x  axis
The angular displacement is measured in radians (not degrees), in the anticlockwise direction,
and with respect to the x-axis. The radian is defined such that
360  2 radians (1)
The distance s traversed along the circular path is called the arc length and is related to the
angular displacement by
s  r (2)
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Consequently, when the particle completes a cycle, the angular displacement is 2 radians
and the arc length is s  2 r , which is the circumference of the circular path.
8.2 Angular Velocity
Suppose the angular displacement of a moving body at time t1  t and time t2  t  t is

1    t  and  2    t  t  respectively. The average angular velocity av is then
  t  t     t 
av  (3)
t
Where t  t2  t1 . This is illustrated below

B
A
2
1
r x  axis
The instantaneous angular velocity  is then
  lim av (4)

t 0
The derivative of the angular displacement with respect to time is defined as
d   t  t     t 
 lim (5)
dt t 0 t
Consequently
d
 (6)
dt
That is, the instantaneous angular velocity is the derivative of the angular displacement with
respect to time. If the instantaneous angular velocity is constant, then it is equal to the
average angular velocity. Thus
  av (7)
Example I
A particle in UCM makes 2 revolutions in 0.5s. Calculate the angular velocity.
Solution
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1 revolution = 1 cycle = 2 radians
2 revolutions = 2  2 radians = 4 radians
Therefore
   2  1  4
  2  1
  av  
t t2  t1
4 rad
  25.13 rad s
0.5 s
8.3 Tangential Velocity
A particle in UCM possesses a linear velocity which is perpendicular to the radius of its
circular path. This velocity is called the tangential velocity v. Its magnitude does not change
in UCM but its direction changes constantly with time as shown
v
v 
Tangential velocity v is related to angular velocity by
v  r (8)
and its SI unit is m s .
Example II
Two students move in a merry-go-round at constant angular velocity 2 rad/s. The first student
is seated 0.75m from the centre and the second student is at 3m from the centre. Calculate the
tangential velocity of each of the students.
Solution
From equation (8)
v1  r11
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v2  r22
Now
1  2  2 rad s
Therefore
v1  0.75 m  2 rad s  1.5 m s
and
v2  3 m  2 rad s  6 m s
8.4 Centripetal Acceleration and Centripetal Force
For a particle moving in UCM, according to Newton’s first law of motion, a force exists that
prevents the particle from moving at a tangent to the circular path. This force which acts
towards the centre of the circle is known as the centripetal (i.e. centre-seeking) force Fc . The
associated acceleration is called the centripetal acceleration ac and is related to the tangential
velocity v by
v2
ac  (9)
r
Using equation (8) in equation (9) gives
ac 
 r 
2
 r 2 (10)
r
From Newton’s second law, the centripetal force required to keep the particle in UCM is
given in terms of ac by
Fc  mac (11)
where m is the mass of the particle. Using equations (9) and (10) in equation (11) we have
mv 2
Fc   mr 2 (12)
r
Example III
A stone of mass 60 g is attached to a 25 cm long string and moved horizontally in UCM,

completing 5 revolutions every second. Determine the tension in the string.
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Solution
The tension in the string provides the centripetal force thus
T  Fc
therefore from equation (12) we have
mv 2
T  mr 2
r
But
  5  2 rad s  10 rad s
m  0.06Kg
r  0.25m
Therefore
T  0.06  0.25  10  Kgms 2

2
T  14.8 Kgm s 2  14.8N
Page 5 of 5

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SPH 100: MECHANICS I

LECTURE 8: Uniform Circular Motion

8.1 Angular Displacement

360  2 radians (1)

8.2 Angular Velocity

Suppose the angular displacement of a moving body at time t1  t and time t2  t  t is

Where t  t2  t1 . This is illustrated below

The instantaneous angular velocity  is then

  lim av (4)

The derivative of the angular displacement with respect to time is defined as

A particle in UCM makes 2 revolutions in 0.5s. Calculate the angular velocity.

2 revolutions = 2  2 radians = 4 radians

8.3 Tangential Velocity

Tangential velocity v is related to angular velocity by

and its SI unit is m s .

From equation (8)

v1  0.75 m  2 rad s  1.5 m s

8.4 Centripetal Acceleration and Centripetal Force

Using equation (8) in equation (9) gives

A stone of mass 60 g is attached to a 25 cm long string and moved horizontally in UCM,

The tension in the string provides the centripetal force thus

therefore from equation (12) we have

  5  2 rad s  10 rad s

T  0.06  0.25  10  Kgms 2

T  14.8 Kgm s 2  14.8N

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