Saturday, June 22, 2019

rotational dynamics - Equilibrium and centripetal acceleration


Why is there still a non zero centripetal acceleration for a particle at equilibrium in uniform circular motion if equilibrium implies total Force = 0?



Answer



A particle in uniform circular motion is not in equilibrium by definition. As you noted there is a non zero centripetal force. For a object to be in equilibrium, the sum of the forces acting on it must be zero (that is the definition of equilibrium).


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