Circular Motion, Orbits, and Gravity Flashcards

Flashcards covering vocabulary related to circular motion, orbits, and gravity as taught in the lecture.

Uniform Circular Motion

Motion where an object moves at a constant speed along a circular path.

Centripetal Acceleration

The acceleration that directs an object towards the center of a circular path.

Period (T)

The time interval it takes for an object to complete one revolution around a circle.

Frequency (f)

The number of revolutions per second, measured in inverse seconds or Hertz (Hz).

Relationship between Speed and Period

Speed (v) = 2πr / T, where r is the radius of the circular path.

Centripetal Acceleration Formula

a = v^2 / r, where v is the speed and r is the radius of the circular path.

Net Force in Uniform Circular Motion

The net force acting on an object in uniform circular motion points towards the center of the circle.

Newton's Second Law and Circular Motion

Fnet = ma = mv^2 / r, where Fnet is the net force, m is the mass, a is the centripetal acceleration, v is the speed and r is the radius.

Tension Force in Circular Motion

The force exerted by a string or chain that causes an object to move in a circle.

Friction and Circular Motion

The force that prevents a car from sliding when turning a corner, providing the necessary centripetal force.

Banked Turn

A curve that is sloped to help vehicles turn without relying solely on friction.

Centrifugal Force (Apparent)

The apparent outward force felt by an object moving in a circular path, a result of inertia.

Apparent Weight

The force you feel due to contact forces supporting you, which can change in circular motion.

Centrifuge

A device that uses rapid rotation to separate components of a liquid based on density.

Orbital Motion

The motion of an object around a larger body due to gravity.

Orbit

A closed trajectory of a projectile due to a balance between its speed and the curvature of the earth.

Free Fall in Orbit

The state of an orbiting projectile, where it is constantly falling towards the Earth but also moving forward.

Orbital Speed

v = sqrt(GM/r), the speed required to maintain a circular orbit at a radius r.

Weightlessness in Orbit

The sensation of having no weight in orbit due to being in free fall.

Newton's Law of Gravity

F = G(m1m2/r^2), describes the attractive force between two masses.

Gravitational Constant (G)

The constant in Newton's Law of Gravity, approximately 6.674 x 10^-11 N(m/kg)^2.

Inverse-Square Law

Describes how the force of gravity decreases with the square of the distance.

Weight on Other Worlds

The force of gravity on an object on another planet or moon, dependent on its mass and radius.

Relationship Between Free Fall Acceleration and Mass/Radius of a Celestial Body

g = GM/R^2, where G is the gravitational constant, M is mass and R is radius of body.

Gravity and Satellite Motion

Gravity is the force that causes the centripetal acceleration of an orbiting object.

Geostationary Orbit

An orbit where a satellite appears to remain stationary above a point on Earth's equator.

Period of a Satellite

T = 2π * sqrt(r^3 / GM), describes how long it takes a satellite to orbit an object of mass M.

Speed of a Satellite

v = sqrt(GM/r), describes how fast a satellite orbits around an object of mass M.

Circular Blade

The rotating part of a table saw.

Hard drive disk

A data storage device that rotates at high speed.