circular motion- resultant force (1 Viewer)

sio2y

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Is the horizontal resultant force always towards the center of the motion? if its not, how to you calculate the direction because non of my textbooks are helping :(
 

braintic

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It is hard to interpret what you are asking.

Do you mean 'radial' instead of 'horizontal'?

Are you referring only to a horizontal circle? Because in a non-horizontal circle, 'horizontal resultant force' doesn't mean much.

Are you referring only to uniform motion, or are you considering the possibility of non-uniform motion?
 
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sio2y

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It is hard to interpret what you are asking.

Do you mean 'radial' instead of 'horizontal'?

Are you referring only to a horizontal circle? Because in a non-horizontal circle, 'horizontal resultant force' doesn't mean much.

Are you referring only to uniform motion, or are you considering the possibility of non-uniform motion?


As in when resolving the horizontal component of a force for situations like a pendulm and banked tracks. I am refering to uniform motion. ie. mrw^2. how do you determine if it is towards the centre of the circle or outqards?
 

braintic

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Centripetal force is NEVER directed outwards. It is the force that makes the object travel in a circle.
It is always directed towards the centre (which is basically what the word 'centripetal' means), and for uniform circular motion that is the only net force.
You should be calling the direction radial, NOT horizontal. In a horizontal circle, 'horizontal' could mean anything.
For non-uniform motion, there is also a tangential component. The vector sum of the radial and tangential components won't point at the centre, but it will never point outwards.

Other than that, I can't offer any more help without a specific question from you.
 

sio2y

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Centripetal force is NEVER directed outwards. It is the force that makes the object travel in a circle.
It is always directed towards the centre (which is basically what the word 'centripetal' means), and for uniform circular motion that is the only net force.
You should be calling the direction radial, NOT horizontal. In a horizontal circle, 'horizontal' could mean anything.
For non-uniform motion, there is also a tangential component. The vector sum of the radial and tangential components won't point at the centre, but it will never point outwards.

Other than that, I can't offer any more help without a specific question from you.

Question 4b of 2009: the answers state the the resultant radial force is outwards rather than inwards. The solutions stated mrw2= TsinA - NcosA rather than NcosA - TsinA.
 

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