VERY IMPORTANT FOR A PHYSICS PRESENTATION.. PLEASE HELP & EXPLAIN CLEARLY??? THANKS SO MUCH!
(a) why is the centripetal force neede to keep a body moving in a circular path?
(b) In what direction does a centripetal force accelerate the body on whic it acts??
(c) Upon what threee factors does the centripetal force keeping a body moving in a circular path depend?
You are mistaken in your beliefs, I think. Centriptal Force is a FORCE Requirement, not a physical force. Any number of forces can be imposed to supply the required centripetal force.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centripetal_force
(a) The centripetal force is needed to keep a body moving in a circular path because according to Newton's first law of motion, an object in motion will continue in a straight line at a constant speed unless acted upon by an external force. In the case of circular motion, the object is constantly changing its direction, which means there must be a force acting towards the center of the circle to keep it from moving in a straight line.
To understand this concept, you can imagine swinging a ball attached to a string in a horizontal circle. If you suddenly release the string, the ball will move in a straight line tangent to the circle, rather than continuing on the circular path. This is because no force is acting on the ball to change its direction. The centripetal force acts as the inward force that continuously pulls the object towards the center of the circle, allowing it to maintain circular motion.
(b) The centripetal force always accelerates the body towards the center of the circle on which it acts. This means that the direction of the centripetal force is always inward, towards the center of the circular path. The force acts perpendicular to the object's velocity, causing it to continuously change its direction towards the center of the circle. Without the centripetal force, the object would move in a straight line tangent to the circle, as mentioned before.
(c) The magnitude of the centripetal force required to keep a body moving in a circular path depends on three factors:
1. Mass of the object: The more massive the object, the greater the force needed to keep it in circular motion.
2. Speed of the object: The higher the speed, the greater the force required to maintain the object's circular path.
3. Radius of the circular path: The larger the radius, the smaller the force needed. Conversely, a smaller radius requires a greater force to keep the object in circular motion.
It's important to note that the centripetal force itself is not a specific force, but rather a requirement for circular motion. Various forces, such as tension, friction, gravitational force, or any other force, can act as the centripetal force, as long as they fulfill the requirement of pulling the object towards the center of the circle.