All Flashcards
What is a Free Body Diagram (FBD)?
A visual tool showing all forces acting on an object.
What is centripetal force?
The net force that points towards the center of the circle, causing an object to move in a circular path.
Define normal force.
The force exerted by a surface on an object in contact with it, usually perpendicular to the surface.
What is apparent weight?
How heavy you 'feel', which is related to the normal force acting on you.
Define weight force.
The force of gravity acting on an object, always pointing downwards towards the Earth.
What is the effect of the net force pointing towards the center of the circle?
The object moves in a circular path.
What happens if you forget to include all relevant forces in your FBD?
Incorrect analysis of the motion and incorrect calculations of net force.
What is the effect of doubling the speed of an object in circular motion?
The centripetal force required quadruples.
What happens when the normal force is greater than weight at the bottom of a loop?
You feel heavier.
What happens if the speed of the block is doubled in the Free Response Question?
The new tension in the string will be 144 N.
In a FBD of a block on a horizontal surface being pulled by a string, what forces should be labeled?
1: Tension (T), 2: Weight (W), 3: Normal Force (N)
In a FBD of a roller coaster at the top of a loop, what forces should be labeled?
1: Normal Force (Fn) pointing downwards, 2: Gravity (Fg) pointing downwards.
In a FBD of a roller coaster at the bottom of a loop, what forces should be labeled?
1: Normal Force (Fn) pointing upwards, 2: Gravity (Fg) pointing downwards.
In a FBD of a roller coaster at the side of a loop, what forces should be labeled?
1: Normal Force (Fn) pointing towards the center, 2: Gravity (Fg) pointing downwards.
In a FBD of a satellite orbiting a planet, what force should be labeled?
1: Gravitational force (Fg) pointing towards the center of the planet.