You create a centripetal force apparatus consisting of a mass m attached to the end of a string and spun in a uniform circular path of radius R, where R = 65.5 cm. The mass is spun in a uniform circular path for 60.0 seconds, during which a total of 117 revolutions are completed.
(a) What is the period, T, of the motion of the mass around its uniform circular path? (In other words, how many seconds does the mass require to go around the uniform circular path once?)
60/117 = 0.513
Is this correct? I feel like it should be more difficult.
Well, your calculation seems a bit fishy to me. It's true that you divided 60 by 117 to get an answer of approximately 0.513 seconds. However, that answer doesn't make any sense for the period of circular motion.
To find the period, T, you need to divide the total time, 60 seconds, by the number of revolutions completed, which is 117. So the correct calculation is:
T = 60 seconds / 117 revolutions
I'm going to let you do the math on this one. Just remember, in physics, it's always important to be precise!
To find the period, T, of the motion of the mass around its uniform circular path, you need to divide the total time taken to complete one revolution by the number of revolutions completed.
In this case, you correctly calculated the period by dividing 60 seconds (the total time) by 117 (the number of revolutions). However, you made a minor error in your calculation. Let's correct it:
T = 60 seconds / 117 revolutions
≈ 0.513 seconds/revolution
So, you were right in your calculation. The period of the motion of the mass around its uniform circular path is approximately 0.513 seconds per revolution.