Circular motion: centripetal force

Change the mass, speed and radius to see the force needed to keep an object on a circular path.

Works in metric or imperial units.

Learn circular motion properly

StudyAI writes clear notes on any topic you study, with practice quizzes, past-paper questions explained, and interactive models like this one in the notes.

Get free notes and a quiz on this
Free to start. No card needed.

Questions students ask

What provides the centripetal force?

Whatever pulls towards the centre: tension in a string, friction on car tyres, gravity for a satellite.

What formula does it use?

F = mv²/r; a = v²/r = ω²r.

Free notes on circular motion

More physics tools

Ohm's law: V = IR
Work out voltage and power from current and resistance with Ohm's law, and see the straight-line V–I graph of …
Electrical power: P = VI
Find the power of an appliance from voltage and current with P = VI, and its resistance. Free interactive elec…
Electricity cost calculator (kWh)
Work out how many kilowatt-hours an appliance uses and what it costs to run each day and month. Free kWh and e…
Kinetic energy: ½mv²
Calculate kinetic energy from mass and speed and see why doubling the speed quadruples the energy. Interactive…
All interactive tools
Use this on your own site or class page

Copy this code. It is free to use, as long as the link stays.