Unit: Circular Motion & Real-World Applications
A conical pendulum: tension in the string has to do two jobs at once — hold the mass up against gravity, and pull it inward to keep it circling. From the AP Circular Motion notes.
Why It Matters
Anything moving in a circle needs a net inward force — a centripetal force — even at constant speed, because direction is still changing. That single requirement explains satellites staying in orbit, cars gripping a curve, and why a Gravitron ride can pin you to the wall.
Centripetal Force in the Gravitron Ride: Examines normal force and static friction acting as the centripetal agents maintaining uniform circular motion.
Geosynchronous Orbits are WEIRD: Explores the precise orbital mechanics and velocity required to perfectly match Earth's rotational period.
How FOUCAULT PENDULUM Works: Demonstrates the conservation of the plane of oscillation, providing tangible evidence of Earth's rotation via the Coriolis effect.
The Evolution of Roller Coasters: From Wood to Steel: A look at the conversion of potential energy to kinetic energy and the structural physics of track design.
How Do Bikes Stay Up?: Investigates the complex interplay of gyroscopic effects, center of mass, and steering geometry required for balance.
What IS Angular Momentum?: A primer on rotational inertia, angular velocity, and the conservation laws that govern spinning systems.
Atomic Clocks: The clocks that keep the world on time: Explains how the steady, unchanging oscillation of cesium atoms defines the second used to synchronize GPS satellites in orbit.
Relativistic Time Dilation Experiment: A demonstration of how clocks moving at high speed tick at measurably different rates, exactly as relativity predicts.
Backspin Basketball Flies Off Dam: Examines how backspin and the Magnus effect combine with rotational momentum to send a bouncing ball flying at an unexpected angle.
5 Fun Physics Phenomena: A collection of hands-on demonstrations, including gyroscopic precession, that reveal counterintuitive rotational physics.
Mass Spectrometry: Covers ionization, acceleration, and magnetic deflection, the stages that bend charged particles into a curved path to identify a sample's components.
2.2 The Mass Spectrometer: A step-by-step walkthrough of how a magnetic field forces charged ions into circular motion, sorting them by their mass-to-charge ratio.