circular motion

2010-05-31 4:45 am
When object is performing circular motion, a centripetal force is required. This centripetal force acts on the object radially. For example, if a satellite is moving round the earth surface from a fixed distance, the weight mg of the satellite then provides the requied centripetal force. But why object do not fall to the centre of the circle by the centripetal force since the centripetal force points toward the centre? Is a force which acts on the object tangentially needed?
更新1:

then why the distance between the object and the centre remains unchanged?

回答 (3)

2010-05-31 7:44 am
✔ 最佳答案
When satellite moves around the Earth, it will experience a centripetal force but the satellite will not fall to the Earth. You can try to explain this with two approaches.
First, you should realize that the centripetal force is perpendicular to the displacement of the satellite. By the defintion of work, the force does no work on the satellite. Yet when satellite moves towards the Earth, the weight mg does work on the satellite as the angle between force and displacement is 0 degree. Hence, with centripetal force, it will not cause the satellite to crash the Earth.
On the other way, you should note that the satellite is moving with tangential velocity. When the weight mg 'pulls' the satellite towards the Earth, the satellite moves with tangential velocity accordingly, keeping the distance between the satellite and the Earth unchanged.
In fact, you can think of the satellite as a ball being thrown on the Earth. If the ball is thrown with small velocity, it will fall onto the ground due to the presence of mg. However, if the ball the thrown faster and faster, the ball will travel with longer horizontal distance before it falls onto the ground, and eventually rotates in orbit around the Earth, which is the model of satellite motion.
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2010-05-31 6:23 am
If the object is performing circular motion, it should have a certain value of velocity. And, the direaction of its velocity is always perpendicular to the gravitational force. Thus, there is no work done on the object by the G-force. The velocity of the object remains unchanged.
2010-05-31 5:34 am
The object is actually continuously "falling" towards the centre of motion. The circular path that you observed is a result of the tangential velocity and the radial acceleration given by the centripetal force.


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