Circular motion

Circular motion is the movement of an object along a circular path around a fixed center or axis. Its direction changes continuously, even when its speed stays constant.

Centripetal acceleration: The inward acceleration of an object moving along a curved path, directed toward the path’s center of curvature. It describes the continuous change in velocity direction during circular motion.
Radians: A unit of angle equal to the angle subtended by an arc whose length equals the circle's radius. Radians make angular displacement directly comparable to distance traveled along the circle.
Orbital mechanics: The study of the motion of natural and artificial bodies under gravity. Gravity provides the centripetal acceleration for idealized circular orbits.
Rectilinear motion: Motion along a straight-line path. Unlike circular motion, rectilinear motion does not require continuous inward acceleration to bend the path.
Centripetal force: The net inward force required to keep an object moving along a circular path. It supplies the inward acceleration that bends the object's trajectory.
Frequency: The number of repetitions of a periodic event per unit time. Revolutions per second express circular motion's repetition rate.
Centrifuge: A device that uses rapid rotation to separate materials by density or particle size. Its samples follow circular paths while the rotation produces strong inward acceleration.
Non-uniform circular motion: Circular motion in which an object's speed changes over time. It adds tangential acceleration to the inward acceleration present in every circular trajectory.
Angular velocity: The rate at which an object's angular position changes over time, with direction along its rotation axis. It measures how quickly the radius sweeps through angle as the object circles.
Velocity: The rate of change of position, including both magnitude and direction. Circular motion is a changing-direction form of velocity, even at constant speed.

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