Centripetal Acceleration and Force

These are the questions we'll go over in class together

Lab: Centripetal acceleration and force

1. Tie a rubber stopper to the end of a string and thread the other end through a pen casing. Swing the rubber stopper around in a circle while holding the other end of the string. Pull the string back and notice the force exerted by the swinging stopper.

2. Now tie a paper clip to the loose end of the string. Hang mass from the paper clip and swing the rubber stopper around in a circle so that the paper clip hangs stationary.

3. Take data, and create a graph to determine the relationship between the speed of the rubber stopper and the radial/centripetal force.