Uniform Circular Motion [chapter]

Jim Breithaupt
1999 Physics  
A particle is in uniform circular motion if it travels in a circular path at a constant speed. Orbiting satellites, ceiling fans and vinyl records are a few objects that display uniform circular motion. Even though its speed remains constant, a particle in uniform circular motion is constantly accelerating. This can initially be a little counterintuitive, but it stems from the definition that acceleration is the rate of change of velocity which is a vector quantity, having both magnitude and
more » ... ection. Since the direction of the speed continuously changes when a particle moves in a circular path, the velocity also continuously changes and hence there is a constant acceleration.
doi:10.1007/978-1-349-14825-7_27 fatcat:6zla7z7lybdshmmypw5a5dkrt4