Circular Motion
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Circular Motion — Free MYP4 Physics Practice Questions

1QuestionCircular Motions ExamplesConcept Practice
2 marks~3 minCriterion A
A car of mass 1200 kg travels at a constant speed of 15 m/s around a flat, circular curve of radius 50 m. The centripetal force is provided entirely by friction between the tyres and the road.

Calculate the centripetal force acting on the car. [2]
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2QuestionCircular Motions ExamplesAssessment Practice
2 marks~3 minCriterion D
A roller coaster completes a vertical loop of radius r=15 mr = 15\ \text{m}. A passenger of mass m=70 kgm = 70\ \text{kg} travels at v=12 m/sv = 12\ \text{m/s} at the top of the loop.

Fc=mv2rF_c = \frac{mv^2}{r}
a
Calculate the centripetal force acting on the passenger at the top of the loop. [1]
b
The calculation assumes the passenger's speed is constant throughout the loop. Explain how a change in speed due to gravity would affect the force experienced by the passenger and their comfort. [1]
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3QuestionCircular Motions ExamplesAssessment Practice
4 marks~6 minCriterion C
A car travels at a constant speed around a circular roundabout of radius 36 m36 \, \text{m}. The car's speed is 12 m/s12 \, \text{m/s}.
a
State the direction of the centripetal acceleration acting on the car. [1]
b
Calculate the centripetal acceleration of the car using ac=v2ra_c = \dfrac{v^2}{r}. [1]
c
The car maintains a constant speed throughout its journey around the roundabout. Evaluate whether the car is in equilibrium, justifying your answer with reference to Newton's first law of motion. [2]
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4QuestionCentripetal and Centrifugal ForcesAssessment Practice
4 marks~6 minCriterion C
A racing car travels around a banked curve of radius rr, where the road surface is inclined at angle θ\theta to the horizontal. The maximum safe cornering speed is given by v=rgtan⁡θv = \sqrt{rg\tan\theta}, where gg is the gravitational field strength.
a
Explain why banking a road allows a car to corner at a higher speed than on a flat road. [1]
b
Identify the vertical and horizontal components of the normal reaction force NN acting on the car, and explain which component provides the centripetal force. [2]
c
Evaluate how doubling the banking angle θ\theta affects the maximum safe speed vv, using the equation v=rgtan⁡θv = \sqrt{rg\tan\theta} to justify your answer. [1]
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5QuestionCircular Motions ExamplesAssessment Practice
5 marks~8 minCriterion A
A student investigates centripetal force by swinging a 0.50 kg mass in a horizontal circle of fixed radius. She measures the centripetal force FcF_c for different speeds vv and plots FcF_c against v2v^2. The graph is a straight line through the origin with gradient 0.62 N s2m−20.62\ \text{N\,s}^2\text{m}^{-2}.
a
State the equation for centripetal force and deduce an expression for the gradient of this graph in terms of mm and rr. [2]
b
Calculate the radius rr of the circle. [1]
c
The student repeats the experiment with the same mass but doubles the radius. Analyse how this change affects the gradient of the FcF_c against v2v^2 graph, and explain what this implies about the centripetal force required to maintain the same speed. [2]
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Solutions

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