Uniform circular motion

Uniform circular motion is motion along a circular path at constant speed. Its direction changes continuously, so it has centripetal acceleration even though its speed remains fixed.

Centripetal acceleration: The inward acceleration of an object moving along a curved path, directed toward the path’s center of curvature. It explains how velocity changes direction continuously while speed stays constant.
Circle: The set of points in a plane at a fixed distance from a center. It defines the path whose radius remains fixed throughout the motion.
Plato: An ancient Greek philosopher whose dialogues shaped Western metaphysics and political thought. His school helped establish circular motion as an ideal for describing the heavens.
Nonuniform circular motion: Motion along a circular path in which speed changes over time. It shares the circular path but adds tangential acceleration as well as inward acceleration.
Centripetal force: The net inward force required to keep an object moving along a curved path. In circular motion, this net force supplies the acceleration toward the center.
Speed: The rate at which an object covers distance, without regard to direction. Uniform circular motion keeps this scalar quantity constant.
Eudoxus of Cnidus: An ancient Greek mathematician and astronomer who proposed a system of nested homocentric spheres. His spheres used combinations of uniform rotations to model planetary motions.
Elliptical orbit: An orbital path shaped like an ellipse, with the attracting body at one focus. Planetary orbits are generally elliptical rather than exact circles at constant speed.
Angular velocity: The rate at which an object’s angular position changes, usually measured in radians per unit time. Constant speed on a fixed-radius circle means constant angular velocity.
Velocity: The rate of change of position, including both magnitude and direction. Its direction changes throughout the motion even though its magnitude does not.

Linked from 13 pages