Centripetal Force

The centripetal force is the force responsible for the object's travel in a circular path. It is always directed toward the center of the circle around which the object travels. If it weren't for this kind of force, the object would travel straight rather than following the curvature.

The Formula

The formula for centripetal force (Fc) is written as,

 Where:

• Fc is  centripetal force 

• m is the mass of the object in kilograms

• v is the velocity of the object in m/s

• r  is the radius of the circular path in meters

Solved Problems

Problem 1: A van of 1,250 Kg is traveling at 50. m/s covers a curve of radius 200 m. Calculate the centripetal force.

Solution

Given 

mass (m)= 1,250 Kg

radius (r)= 200 m

velocity(v) = 50.0 m/s

By using the centripetal formula,

Problem 2: Suppose a ball that is spinning at the end of a string that you're twirling has a mass of 0.5 kg and is going around with a tangential velocity of 4m/s. Let the length of the string be 2 meters. Find the centripetal force.

Solution:

Given:

m = 0.5 kg

v = 4 m / s

r = 2 m

By using the formula,

Ans: the centripetal force is 4N

 

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