By the end of this unit, students will know:

• How to relate the radius of the circle and the speed or rate of revolution of the particle to the magnitude of the centripetal acceleration.

• How to describe the direction of the particle’s velocity and acceleration at any instant during the motion.

• How to analyze situations in which an object moves with specified acceleration under the influence of one or more forces so they can determine the magnitude and direction of the net force, or of one of the forces that makes up the net force.

By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

Learn various concepts and ideas related to circular motion. They will use the following equations in solving problems.

o a= v^2 /r

o v = 2πr/T

o T= 1/f

o F = ma

By the end of this unit, students will know:

• Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation

• That the motion of an object in orbit is under the influence of gravitational forces

By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

• Determine the force that one spherically symmetrical mass exerts on another.

• Determine the strength of the gravitational field at a specified point outside a spherically symmetrical mass. Recognize that the motion does not depend on the object’s mass

• Describe qualitatively how the velocity, period of revolution, and centripetal acceleration depend upon the radius of the orbit

• Derive expressions for the velocity and period of revolution in such an orbit

G = (6.67 x 10^-11)