Force Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Centripetal === {{main|Centripetal force}} For an object in [[uniform circular motion]], the net force acting on the object equals:<ref>{{cite web |last=Nave |first=Carl Rod |title=Centripetal Force |work=HyperPhysics |publisher=University of Guelph |url=http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/cf.html |access-date=2013-10-28}}</ref> <math display="block" qid=Q172881>\vec{F} = - \frac{mv^2 \hat{r}}{r},</math> where <math>m</math> is the mass of the object, <math>v</math> is the velocity of the object and <math>r</math> is the distance to the center of the circular path and <math> \hat{r}</math> is the [[unit vector]] pointing in the radial direction outwards from the center. This means that the net force felt by the object is always directed toward the center of the curving path. Such forces act perpendicular to the velocity vector associated with the motion of an object, and therefore do not change the [[speed]] of the object (magnitude of the velocity), but only the direction of the velocity vector. More generally, the net force that accelerates an object can be resolved into a component that is perpendicular to the path, and one that is tangential to the path. This yields both the tangential force, which accelerates the object by either slowing it down or speeding it up, and the radial (centripetal) force, which changes its direction.<ref name=FeynmanVol1 />{{rp|at=ch.12}}<ref name=Kleppner /> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page