Practice Circular Motion in Physics
Use these practice problems to test your method after reviewing the concept explanation and worked examples.
Quick Recap
Motion of an object along a circular path where the speed may be constant but the velocity is continuously changing direction, requiring a centripetal acceleration directed toward the centre of the circle.
A car on a circular track at constant speed is still accelerating—toward the center.
Example 1
easyA car drives around a circular track of radius 50 \text{ m} at a constant speed of 10 \text{ m/s}. What is the centripetal acceleration?
Example 2
mediumA satellite orbits Earth at a radius of 6.8 \times 10^6 \text{ m} with a period of 5400 \text{ s}. What is its orbital speed and centripetal acceleration?
Example 3
mediumA point on the rim of a bicycle wheel (r = 0.35 \text{ m}) moves at 5 \text{ m/s}. What is the period of rotation and the centripetal acceleration?
Example 4
hardA ball on a 0.8 \text{ m} string is swung in a vertical circle. What minimum speed must it have at the top of the circle so the string remains taut? Use g = 9.8 \text{ m/s}^2.