Dunman High School (Senior High Physics)

Pre-Lecture Notes [For Lecture 2]

1. I am going to highlight misconceptions
and common exam questions, and use
additional resources not found in your
notes to supplement the lecture.
• It would be good that you read the
lecture notes beforehand so that you can
accelerate your own learning.
2. There is no need to copy any of the blanks
word for word if you do not want to.
• The completed notes will be uploaded
onto the cohort sharing folder.
• You should take down short notes for
your own revision.
3. If you have queries
during the lecture,
you can input your
doubts into the
Google Sheet found
in the QR code. I will
discuss them in the
next lecture.
Note:
* Cohort Google Drive

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 Dunman High School (Senior High Physics)

6.2 Analysis of uniform circular motion

(d) describe qualitatively motion in a curved path due to a perpendicular force and
understand the centripetal acceleration in the case of uniform motion in a circle.
(e) recall and use centripetal acceleration a = rω2, and a = v2/r to solve problems.
(f) recall and use centripetal force F = mrω2, and F = mv2/r to solve problems.

Explore the qualitative For an object that moves C

concepts in circular along the circular path from
motion through this SLS A to B at a constant speed v
lesson, and figure out the ( v = rω ), its velocity is
answer to the question of B
“What causes an object to always changing because
v
move in a circular path?” the direction in which the F
object travels is changing.

Since the object's velocity is changing with time, the F

object is said to be accelerating. This acceleration a O A
is called the centripetal acceleration [For derivation, a
refer to Annex] and its magnitude is given by
ω

v2
a= = r ω 2 = vω
r INQUIRY 02 :
With reference to the diagram,
Applying Newton’s 2nd Law (N2L) to a body that explain what happens if there is no
has constant mass m, the magnitude of the
external resultant force F acting on
centripetal force F that must act to produce the
uniform circular motion is given by the object at A?
Solution:
v  2
F = m   = mr ω 2 = mv ω
 r 

Similarly, by N2L, the direction of the centripetal INQUIRY 03 :

acceleration and the centripetal force acting on it In uniform circular motion,
must be the same.
centripetal acceleration is / is not
We discussed all the Learning Outcomes for constant.
this topic! Let us look at how concepts from The associated centripetal force,
other topics can be integrated through the which is required to produce this
“Inquiry” questions.
motion, is / is not constant.

INQUIRY 04 :
Similar to an external resultant force, the centripetal force is / is NOT an additional
force acting on the object. It does / does not appear in free body diagrams. It can
be a combination of forces like tension, friction, gravitational force, electric force etc.

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 Dunman High School (Senior High Physics)

Direction of acceleration in
uniform circular motion
Video:
Beauty of Symmetry

CKW_17 May 2023 [For Internal Use Only] Page 17 of 34 (H2/H1)

 Dunman High School (Senior High Physics)

6.3 Steps to solve problems involving circular motion

1. Draw a free body diagram for the problem

2. Identify the centre of the circular motion
3. Choose a suitable coordinate system
4. Resolve the forces, if necessary.
5. Apply N2L to solve the problem (Ensure that r is the radius of the circular path!)

6.3.1 Revision on how to draw a free body diagram and evaluating the expression
for centripetal forces in common scenarios
(Tangential forces are ignored since they do not have a component towards
the centre of the circle)

(a) Vertical pendulum attached to a string moving in a vertical circle

c
Position  F( = mv2/r)
d
a Ta - W
W
θ Td
Tc b Tb
W
e b c Tc + W
Te Tb
d Td + Wcosθ
W Ta W
e Te

a
W
c
(b) Vehicle inside a vertical circular track d
Position  F( = mv2/r) W
Nd
θ Nc
a Na - W W

b Nb e b
Ne Nb
c Nc + W W Na W

d Nd + Wcosθ
a
e Ne
W

(c) Vehicle outside a vertical circular track Na

Position  F( = mv2/r) a

a W - Na Nb b
W
θ
b Wcosθ - Nb
W
c Circular motion is Nc
not possible c
W
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 Dunman High School (Senior High Physics)

Lecture Inquiry (H3):

What about non-
uniform circular
motion?

speed is
constant

speed is decreasing speed is increasing

CKW_17 May 2023 [For Internal Use Only] Page 19 of 34 (H2/H1)

 Dunman High School (Senior High Physics)

Example 3
When a bung of mass m is whirled with constant angular
velocity ω in a horizontal circle at the end of a string of length l,
the string itself will not be horizontal. The point at which the
string is held will be above the plane of the circle.

(a) Draw a free body diagram of the bung.

(b) What happens to the angle the string makes with the vertical θ if the angular velocity
of the bung increases?

Solution: Video
(a)

θ θ
θ T T cosθ
l

T sinθ

r
mg mg

Free body diagram Free body diagram

(After resolving the tension)

(b) The vertical component of the tension in the string balances the weight of the bung.
T cos θ = mg --- (1)

The horizontal component of the tension in the string provides the centripetal force for
the bung to move in uniform circular motion.
T sin θ = mrω 2 INQUIRY 05 (H3):
T sin θ = m(l sin θ )ω 2 As ω → ∞ , cos θ → 0 and θ → π / 2 . At high
T = mlω 2 --- (2) speeds, the bung flies out until it is almost
g horizontal. However, at low speeds, the solution
(1) / (2) : cos θ =
lω 2 does not make sense. As ω → 0 , the solution
As ω increases, predicts that cos θ → ∞ , which is mathematically
cos θ decreases, thus θ increases. impossible since cos θ ≤ 1 . What has gone wrong?

CKW_17 May 2023 [For Internal Use Only] Page 20 of 34 (H2/H1)