Mass and Acceleration
[pic] Exploration Guide: Uniform Circular Motion
Names: ______________________________ ______________________________
Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory use their knowledge of circular motion when they launch spacecrafts. By timing the launch to take advantage of the circular motion of Earth rotating on its axis, scientists can control the speed with which the craft will travel around the Sun.
If the spacecraft travels around the Sun at a slightly higher speed than Earth does, the radius of its orbit will slowly increase, and it will move outward through the Solar System. This way, the craft could intersect with the orbits of Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, or Pluto.
If the spacecraft travels around the Sun at a slightly lower speed than the Earth does, the radius of its orbit will slowly decrease, and it will move inward toward the Sun. This could bring the probe near the inner planets, Venus and Mercury.
Acceleration of an Object in Uniform Circular Motion
In this activity, you will explore the acceleration of an object that travels a circular path at constant speed. Motion of this kind is called uniform circular motion. A. The Gizmotm shows both a top view and a side view of a puck constrained by a string, traveling a circular path on an air table. Be sure the Gizmo has these settings: radius 8 m, mass 5 kg, and velocity 8 m/s. Then click Play and observe the motion of the puck. 1. The puck in the Gizmo is traveling at a constant speed, but it is NOT traveling at a constant velocity. Explain why. _______________________________________________________________ (Hint: Velocity is a vector quantity that includes both a magnitude and a direction.) 2. Because the velocity of the puck is changing (because its direction is changing), the puck must be experiencing an acceleration. Click BAR CHART and choose Acceleration from the dropdown menu. Check Show numerical values. The leftmost bar shows the
Names: ______________________________ ______________________________
Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory use their knowledge of circular motion when they launch spacecrafts. By timing the launch to take advantage of the circular motion of Earth rotating on its axis, scientists can control the speed with which the craft will travel around the Sun.
If the spacecraft travels around the Sun at a slightly higher speed than Earth does, the radius of its orbit will slowly increase, and it will move outward through the Solar System. This way, the craft could intersect with the orbits of Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, or Pluto.
If the spacecraft travels around the Sun at a slightly lower speed than the Earth does, the radius of its orbit will slowly decrease, and it will move inward toward the Sun. This could bring the probe near the inner planets, Venus and Mercury.
Acceleration of an Object in Uniform Circular Motion
In this activity, you will explore the acceleration of an object that travels a circular path at constant speed. Motion of this kind is called uniform circular motion. A. The Gizmotm shows both a top view and a side view of a puck constrained by a string, traveling a circular path on an air table. Be sure the Gizmo has these settings: radius 8 m, mass 5 kg, and velocity 8 m/s. Then click Play and observe the motion of the puck. 1. The puck in the Gizmo is traveling at a constant speed, but it is NOT traveling at a constant velocity. Explain why. _______________________________________________________________ (Hint: Velocity is a vector quantity that includes both a magnitude and a direction.) 2. Because the velocity of the puck is changing (because its direction is changing), the puck must be experiencing an acceleration. Click BAR CHART and choose Acceleration from the dropdown menu. Check Show numerical values. The leftmost bar shows the