Centripetal Force and Circular Motion Lab

Introduction: An object moving at constant velocity can be made to follow a circular path by the
application of an unbalanced centripetal force. The Earth orbits the sun because gravity applies a
centripetal force to the Earth, causing the Earths path to curve. Centripetal Force is given by the
equation F = mv2/r, where m is the mass of the object, v is the tangential velocity, and r is the radius
of the circular path.
I.) Purpose: To experimentally verify F = mv2/r, and explore the effect of changing the centripetal
force on tangential velocity and the rate of rotation of an object moving in a circular path.
II.) Materials:

PVC Pipe
Rubber Stopper
Hooked Masses
Stopwatch

Nylon Line
Meter

Stick
Tape

Balance

Paper Clip (hook)

III.) Procedure:
A.) Measure a distance of exactly one meter from the stopper to the PVC pipe, and place a
piece of tape on the fishing line under the PVC pipe as a marker. When the stopper is
rotating, it is important to keep the marker at the correct point, so your radius is as close
to 1 meter as you can make it.
B.) Measure the mass of the stopper on the balance and record.
C.) One person will be responsible for rotating the stopper at a constant rate, and another will
be responsible for collecting the stopwatch data.
D.) SAFETY! KEEP AT LEAST 10 FEET BETWEEN THE STOPPER AND EVERYONE ELSE!Begin data
collection by hanging a 100 gram mass from the hook on the bottom of your line. Hold the
string in your hand, and set the stopper into rotation by moving the PVC pipe in a circular
motion. Carefully release the string, and speed up or slow down your rate of rotation until
the tape marker is at the correct position (radius should be 1 meter). After the tape
marker does not change position, the timer should measure the time for 20 complete
revolutions. Record the time in the data table.
E.) Repeat Part D for 150, 200, 250 and 300 grams of mass. Record the times in the data
table.
IV.) Data
Mass of Stopper = _____________ kg (watch your units!)
Mass on Hook (kg)

V.) Calculations:

Weight on Hook
(N)

Time for 20 revs

(sec)

Frequency (rev/sec)

Period (sec/rev)

A.) For each weight on the hook tested, determine the tangential velocity (meters/sec) by
multiplying the Frequency (rev/sec) by the circumference of your circle (meters/rev). Use your
knowledge of geometry to find the circumference of the circle.
B.) The weight on the hook is equal to the centripetal force applied to the stopper. Calculate
mv2/r for the stopper for each weight on the hook.
C.) Use a percent error calculation to determine how close the weight on the hook was to your
measured centripetal force. Use the weight on the hook as your predicted (actual) value, and mv 2/r as
your observed (measured) value.
VI.) Questions:
1.) Draw a Free-Body diagram of the hooked mass, and another of the stopper. Be sure to label W
(weight) and T (tension in the string) for the hooked mass, and all forces and the tangential
velocity of the stopper.
2.) Is centripetal force the only force operating on the stopper as it rotates? Explain the effect of
any other forces on the stopper.
3.) What happened to the frequency of rotation as we added more weight to the hook? Why?
4.) What happened to the tangential velocity as we added more weight to the hook? Why?
5.) Draw a diagram showing what would happen to the stopper if the string suddenly broke.
6.) Explain why an object moving in a circular path is constantly accelerating.
7.) Draw a picture of the Earth and the Moon, and label all forces and velocities for both.
8.) Make a graph of the weight on the hook (X axis) and the tangential velocity (Y axis). Explain
the pattern in the graph.
9.) What would happen to the orbital period of the Earth if the Earth had a mass twice its actual
mass?
10.)What would happen to the orbital period of the Earth if the Sun had a mass twice its actual
mass?
VII.) Discussion of Error: Identify at least three sources of error in your lab, and discuss the
effect of each on your data.

Using your own words write a conclusion. The conclusion has the following basic
format and should be 2 to 3 paragraphs long:
VIII.) Conclusion:

a. Claim: Restate your hypothesis; was it correct or incorrect?

b. Evidence: What evidence is there in your data to support or not support your
hypothesis? This is very important, as it connects your results to the conclusion.
c. Reasoning: How does your data support the scientific principle explored in this lab?
This is a research section. Use your text as one reference and you will need one
additional reference beyond the text and the notes.
d. Connections to the Real World: Explain how your results are related to something in
the real world or answer questions about this.
e. Further Experiment: Give an idea for an experiment that tests this concept further.
You may not describe the same experiment with different materials.