Subsection 2.2.4 Uniform Circular Motion
In uniform circular motion object is moving at a constant speed (not velocity) on a circular path. For an object to be in uniform circular motion, there must be a net force acting on it. This force is called a centripetal force without this force nothing can move in a circular path. This net force is not a physical force of some kind rather some other forces must be there to act like a centripetel force. If the centripetal force , becomes zero suddenly, then the object flies off along a tangent to the circle. The centripetal force,
\begin{equation}
F=\frac{mv^2}{r}\tag{2.2.6}
\end{equation}
where \(m\) is mass of the object, \(v\) is speed of the object, and \(r\) is radius of the circluar path. Because of necessary centripetal force, sometime we feel difficulty to steer our car around a sharp curve. The sharper the curve (i.e., the smaller the radius) the greater the centripetal force required to keep the car on the curved path. Cetripetal means to look towards the center, hence centripetal force is always acting towards the center of the path.
Some examples: 1. We may have noticed that when the string breaks for a whirling stone. The stone flies off along the straight line tangential to the circular path. 2. When swinging a yo-yo around in a circle. The force generated by your arm puts the yo-yo itself in motion, and the tension on the string keeps it moving in a circular path as you twirl it. If the string were to break at any given point, the yo-yo would fly off in a direction that is tangent to the point on the circle that the yo-yo was at when the string broke centripetal force.
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xmphysics.com/2022/12/22/centripetal-force/
