phys (1207) - Space: analyzing centripetal force

mr robson kept stressing how important it is to analyse things properly.

he went through a process of analyzing uniform circular motion.

first we describe their motion. (uniform and circular, duh)

they have a constant veloctity, but since their direction is changing, there must be an acceleration

F = ma, since there's acceleration, then its assumed there is a force.

that force we then describe.

in a hammer throw, its caused by tension, the pull of the thrower. in a car race, the reaction force is slightly tilted, but gravity is still straight down. add up the vectors and you have a force pulling in a direciton buddy. and with the moon orbiting the earth, its gravity that is pulling on the moon, the force that causes the acceleration