Enter the tangential velocity and the radius at which an object is rotating into the calculator to determine the centripetal acceleration.
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Centripetal Acceleration Formula
The following equation is used to calculate the centripetal acceleration of an object in rotation/orbit.
a = V^2/r
- Where a is the centripetal acceleration m/s^2
- V is the tangential velocity m/s
- r is the radius m
Centripetal Acceleration Definition
Centripetal acceleration is defined as the rate of change of angular velocity or speed.
Centripetal Acceleration Example
How to calculate centripetal acceleration
- First, measure the velocity
The key to this step is that the velocity is the tangential velocity. In other words the velocity perpendicular to the radius.
- Next, determine the radius
Either calculate or measure the radius of rotation.
- Finally, calculate the centripetal acceleration
Calculate the centripetal acceleration using the velocity and radius from steps 1 and 2 combined with the formula above.
FAQ
Centripetal acceleration, also known as angular acceleration, is the acceleration acting on an object perpendicular to its movement.
Tangential velocity is the velocity of an object tangential to the rotation.
