Application of Circular Motion
Application of circular motion can be found in our everyday life as well as in practical situations. Various application includes,
Turning of Vehicles at Banked Road
As we know that the centripetal force which is directed towards the centre of a vehicle moving at a circular road is given by, FC = mV2/R. This force is provided by the force of friction which is between the tyre of the vehicle and the surface of the road.
Note that it is the static friction which provides the centripetal force. Suppose the static frictional coefficient is μS and R is the radius of the circular road. Then the maximum speed at which the vehicle can drive at the circular flat road is given by,
Vmax = √(μSRg)
As the velocity of the vehicle is dependent on the μs and R, and the radius is generally not changeable. We can reduce the contribution of the static friction on the vehicle in a circular motion if we can make the road banked at an angle.
Let the angle at which the road is banked be θ.
As the vertical component has no acceleration part, its net force must be zero, therefore,
N cosθ = mg + Fsinθ
Horizontal component is solely responsible for the centripetal force acting on the vehicle, therefore,
Nsinθ + Fcosθ = mv2/R
Since F is less than μsN. Therefore, in order to have the maximum velocity, we have to put,
FS = μsN
Therefore, the equation of the vertical components will become,
N cosθ = mg + μsNsinθ
And Horizontal component will become,
Nsinθ + μsNcosθ = mv2/R
From vertical component, we can get the value of N to be,
Putting this value of N in horizontal component, we get,
Rearranging the term and dividing the left hand side of the equation with cosθ, we get Vmax to be,
Comparing this maximum speed with the maximum speed of the vehicle at the flat road, we can clearly see that this term has some other part in the equation which increases the maximum speed with which the vehicle can move at a banked road in a circular motion.
Circular Motion
Circular Motion is defined as the movement of an object rotating along a circular path. Objects in a circular motion can be performing either uniform or non-uniform circular motion. Motion of a car on a bank road, the motion of a bike well of death, etc. are examples of circular motion.
In this article, we will learn about circular motion and some related concepts, such as examples, equations, applications, etc.
Table of Content
- What is Circular Motion?
- Equations for Circular Motion
- Centripetal Force
- Centrifugal Force
- Types of Circular Motion
- Circular Motion and Rotational Motion
- Circular Motion Formulas