Motion in a circle

About this lab: Motion in a circle

Whirl a mass with live velocity, acceleration and force vectors, swing it in a vertical circle until the string goes slack, drive a car over a hump, and see where the force comes from when a plane banks, a road is banked or a cyclist leans.

Radians, angular speed, centripetal acceleration and force, what happens when the force runs out, and where the force comes from in real turns

Motion in a circle is a free, browser-based simulation for Cambridge International AS & A Level Physics 9702 (topic 12 Motion in a circle). The course is assessed in Paper 1 (multiple choice), Paper 2 (AS structured), Paper 3 (advanced practical), Paper 4 (A Level structured) and Paper 5 (planning, analysis and evaluation). There are 4 tabs, each a self-contained experiment with its own controls and live readings, and nothing to install: it runs on a laptop, tablet or classroom projector.

Syllabus coverage

• 12.1 Kinematics of uniform circular motion: The radian and angular displacement; Angular speed: ω = 2π ÷ T and v = rω. Lessons: Angular quantities.
• 12.2 Centripetal acceleration: Force perpendicular to motion causes centripetal acceleration; a = rω² and a = v² ÷ r; F = mrω² and F = mv² ÷ r. Lessons: Centripetal acceleration and force.

Full syllabus map: A Level Physics 9702 topic 12.

How to use this simulation

1. 1. Horizontal circle.
2. 2. Vertical circle.
3. 3. Car over a hump.
4. 4. Banked turns: plane, road, bike.
5. The buttons at the end of the tab strip give the scene the whole window (Full screen, Hide controls) and, on a dark stage, a projector-friendly palette (Light scene). Many scenes also have drag handles: drag them to change the set-up directly.

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