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Island Physics

CODING FOR PHYSICS

Home >> Physics 1 >> Gravitation and Orbits >> Circular Motion Animations
Energy >>

This is a difficult one.  The key to circular motion is that the force acts perpendicular to the velocity.  There is not an easy way to do this.  My solution was to get a pencil and paper and sketch out the vectors and their components.  The magnitude of the force vector is easy - simply use Pythagoras to get the magnitude of the velocity and use: \[F = \frac{mv^2}{r}\]
Then this needs to be multiplied by a unit vector that is perpendicular to the velocity.  There may be easier or better ways to do this, but my solution involved geometry.  I calculated the angle of the velocity vector using \(\tan\theta = \left(\frac{v_x}{v_y}\right)\) and I set the unit acceleration vector to \(a=\,<\cos\theta,\sin\theta,0>\).

My issue is that there has to be a better method of producing a centre-seeking force.  I would prefer to define a central point and have a force vector directed at that point.  After all, planets do not orbit because their acceleration is perpendicular to their velocity, but because the force that causes that acceleration acts towards the centre of mass of the Sun.
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      • Conservation of Energy
      • Work-Energy Theorem
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      • Impulse
      • Conservation of Momentum
      • Types of Collision
      • 2-D Collisions
    • Simple Harmonic Motion >
      • Mass on Spring
      • Pendulums
      • SHM Animations
    • Rotational Mechanics >
      • Torque
      • Rotational Kinematics
      • Rotational Dynamics
      • Angular Momentum
      • Rotational Energy
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      • Sound
    • AP-1 Revision
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      • Size and Origin
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      • Measuring Salinity
      • Thermal Properties
      • Density Profiles
      • Drinking Seawater
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      • Coriolis Effect
      • Surface Currents
      • Vertical Motion
      • Thermohaline Circulation
      • El Nino
      • Carbon Cycle
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      • Formation of Waves
      • Beaches
      • Tsunamis
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