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Understanding Centripetal Acceleration Proof

This document provides a derivation of centripetal acceleration using vectors to help understand why it occurs for objects in circular motion. It considers two infinitesimally close points on a circle joined by a line segment, and looks at the change in velocity over time as the object moves from one point to the other. Through resolving the velocity vector into components parallel and perpendicular to the line segment, it is shown that the perpendicular component, and thus the acceleration, is always directed towards the center of the circle, with a magnitude of v2/r, where v is the velocity and r is the radius of the circle.

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Ronak kadam
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450 views4 pages

Understanding Centripetal Acceleration Proof

This document provides a derivation of centripetal acceleration using vectors to help understand why it occurs for objects in circular motion. It considers two infinitesimally close points on a circle joined by a line segment, and looks at the change in velocity over time as the object moves from one point to the other. Through resolving the velocity vector into components parallel and perpendicular to the line segment, it is shown that the perpendicular component, and thus the acceleration, is always directed towards the center of the circle, with a magnitude of v2/r, where v is the velocity and r is the radius of the circle.

Uploaded by

Ronak kadam
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Best Way For Understanding Centripetal Acceleration

Through This method you can easily understand why and how centripetal
acceleration works on a particle moving in uniform circular motion.
A fact to know-
 We know that the circle was made up of many points, which are very
infinitely close to each other.

 We join the two adjacent points then they work as a straight line.
Therefore, we say that circle is the polygon of infinite sides.
DERIVATION- Consider a particle moving in uniform circular motion with
velocity= V𝑚𝑠 −1. And, consider any two adjacent arbitrary points –

Now, because we considering any two infinitely close, adjacent arbitrary positions
of particle during it’s circular motion. And, now we analyse these two positions.
Join point A and B by an imaginary line.

⃗ and imaginary is mathematically same for both Positions-


The angle 𝛼 between 𝑉
A and B.
Now, we are doing the resolution of vector.

As we can see there was no change in Y-axis, while moving with constant velocity
⃗ , the speed in Y-axis is always 𝑉. cos 𝛼.
𝑉
 Conclusion 1- While doing uniform circular motion there was no acceleration
along the arc of the circle.
But as we can see at position-A, the particle wants to go along X-axis, but to
obey the “Law Of Tangent” for doing circular motion, the particle moves
towards –X-axis with the same velocity 𝑉. sin 𝛼 because the particle is doing
uniform circular motion.
We have considered the Position-A and B infinitely close to each other.
Therefore, the average acceleration during A and B is the same at every instant.
𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝐼𝑛 𝑉𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦
<𝑎 >=
𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒
𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 = 𝑉𝑓 − 𝑉𝑖 = −𝑉. sin 𝛼 − 𝑉. sin 𝛼 = −2𝑉. sin 𝛼
𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑅. 𝑑𝜃
𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒 = =
𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑉. cos 𝛼
Substituting all the values,
−2𝑉. sin 𝛼
<𝑎 >=
𝑅. 𝑑𝜃
𝑉. cos 𝛼
−𝑉 ∗ 𝑉. 2 sin 𝛼 cos 𝛼
<𝑎 >=
𝑅. 𝑑𝜃
Using Identity- sin 2𝑥 = 2 sin 𝑥 cos 𝑥,
−𝑉 2 . sin 2𝛼
<𝑎 >=
𝑅. 𝑑𝜃
𝑑𝜃
We have already find that 𝛼 = ,
2

And using the identity,


sin 𝑥
lim =1
𝑥→0° 𝑥

And 𝑑𝜃 is also an infinitely small angle,


𝑑𝜃
−𝑉 2 . sin 2 2
<𝑎 >= 2 = −𝑉 . sin 𝑑𝜃
𝑅. 𝑑𝜃 𝑅. 𝑑𝜃
−𝑉 2
<𝑎 >=
𝑅
By our figures we can easily understand how centripetal acceleration works,
and it is always towards center. And, this poof is much better that is given in all
books same as in NCERT. The problem in NCERT’s derivation is students are
not able to understand why we there was centripetal acceleration and for this
derivation we operate vectors and lengths as same, which is not pretty much
understandable.

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