WAEC SSCE - Physics - 2002 (Objective)

Question 1 Report

The magnitude of the force required to make an object of mass, m move with speed, v in a circular of radius r is given by the expression

\(\frac{mr}{v}\)

\(\frac{mr^2}{v}\)

\(\frac{mv^2}{r}\)

\(\frac{mv}{r^2}\)

Answer Details

The expression that gives the magnitude of the force required to make an object of mass, m move with speed, v in a circular of radius r is given by the formula: \(\frac{mv^2}{r}\). This formula is known as the centripetal force formula. It states that the force required to keep an object moving in a circular path is directly proportional to the mass of the object, the square of its velocity and inversely proportional to the radius of the circular path. So, if we increase the mass of the object, the force required to keep it moving in a circular path will also increase. If we increase the velocity of the object, the force required will increase by a factor equal to the square of the velocity. Finally, if we increase the radius of the circular path, the force required will decrease.






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