Centripetal Acceleration

Uniform, Constant speed or circular motion:

The acceleration “a” always points WHERE

Uniform, Constant speed or circular motion:

The acceleration “a” always points CENTER of the circle

Uniform, Constant speed or circular motion:

The velocity is always WHAT to the circle and perpendicular to the WHAT at all points

Uniform, Constant speed or circular motion:

The velocity is always TANGENT to the circle and perpendicular to the ACCELERATION ( not magnitude) at all points

An acceleration that always points directly toward the center of the circle is called a WHAT 

Centripetal acceleration or center-seeking 

What is the equation for the magnitude for ac 

ac = V² / r 

ac = 0 along any WHAT section on a diagram

straight sections on a diagram

Non-uniform acceleration:

• The tangential acceleration “at” causes the particle’s WHAT to change. There’s a tangential acceleration only when the particle is WHAT or WHAT

Non-uniform acceleration:

• The tangential acceleration “at” causes the particle’s SPEED to change. There’s a tangential acceleration only when the particle is SPEEDING UP or SLOWING DOWN

Non-uniform acceleration:

• The centripetal acceleration “ac” causes the particle’s WHAT to change. As the particle speeds up “ac” gets WHAT, Circular motion always has a WHAT.

Non-uniform acceleration:

• The centripetal acceleration “ac” causes the particle’s DIRECTION to change. As the particle speeds up “ac” gets LARGER, Circular motion always has a CENTRIPETAL ACCELERATION.

What is the equation for angular acceleration

α (alpha) = “at” / r

α > 0, counter-clockwise acceleration

α < 0, clockwise acceleration