All Flashcards
What is the effect of a net force acting towards the center of a circular path?
It causes centripetal acceleration, resulting in uniform circular motion.
What happens when the radius of a circular path increases, assuming constant speed?
The centripetal acceleration decreases.
What happens to the center of mass when external forces act on a system?
The center of mass accelerates as if all the mass is concentrated there and all external forces act on that point.
What happens when the velocity of an object in UCM increases?
The centripetal acceleration increases.
What is position?
Where an object is located; its 'address'.
What is displacement?
The change in position; a vector quantity.
What is velocity?
The rate of change of position; a vector quantity.
What is acceleration?
The rate of change of velocity; a vector quantity.
What is centripetal acceleration?
Acceleration directed towards the center of the circular path in uniform circular motion.
What is centripetal force?
The net force that causes centripetal acceleration; it's directed towards the center of the circle.
What is the center of mass (COM)?
The average position of all the mass in a system; the point where the system would balance.
How do you calculate average velocity?
v_{avg} = \frac{\Delta x}{\Delta t} (change in position over change in time)
How do you calculate average acceleration?
a_{avg} = \frac{\Delta v}{\Delta t} (change in velocity over change in time)
How to calculate centripetal acceleration?
a_c = \frac{v^2}{r} (where v is speed and r is radius)
How to calculate centripetal force?
F_c = m a_c = \frac{mv^2}{r} (where m is the mass)
What are the SUVAT equations used for?
Used when acceleration is constant: v = v_0 + at, \Delta x = v_0t + \frac{1}{2}at^2, v^2 = v_0^2 + 2a\Delta x, \Delta x = \frac{1}{2}(v_0 + v)t