What are the physical quantities that affect the value of centripetal force when a body in circular motion? What is the force exerted on the object when the object is doing a horizontal circular motion?

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Physical Science Experiment Report

Centripetal Force

Name_____Lee Lai Shan______

Date_______29-10-2010______

Problem statement:

What are the physical quantities that affect the value of centripetal force when a body in circular motion?

What is the force exerted on the object when the object is doing a horizontal circular motion?

Objectives:

To determine the relationship between the angular velocity of a body in circular motion , the centripetal force F necessary to maintain a constant angular velocity ,the mass m of the body and the radius R of the circular path.

Experimental design:

i)Apparatus:

1 Rubber bund , 1 glass tube about 15 cm long , screw nuts with hook, 1.5 m of nylon string , small paper marker, metre rule ,stop-watch

ii)Description of Design:

        The rubber stopper that will be swinging around in a circle for this lab travels a distance equal to the circumference of a circle. Because the rubber stopper will be traveling more than once around the circle, the total distance will be equal to the number or revolutions times the circumference. The “velocity” of the stopper is calculated then as the distance divided by the time:

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                                                                Equation 1

Where V = Velocity, r = radius (see diagram), N = Number of revolutions counted in 60 seconds, t = 60 seconds (length of one trial).

The experimental centripetal force (Fc) of the rubber stopper swinging around is calculated by using:

        Equation 2

where ms is the mass of the rubber stopper, and the other variables as before.

Centripetal means “center seeking”. There are two main forces at work in this laboratory exercise. “Opposing” the centripetal force is the theoretical, accepted force due to the weight of the screw nuts pulling the string down through the ...

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