This experiment involves centripetal force, the force that keeps objects moving in a circular path. This force is perpendicular to the motion and directed towards the centre of the circular orbit. By Newton's Second law when a centripetal force acts on a mass (in the horizontal plane), the force continually changes the direction of the velocity accounts for the centripetal acceleration of the mass, whose direction is towards the centre. The relationship between the centripetal force, the mass of the orbiting object, and its speed and distance from the centre are described by:
Extension Question:
When twirling the mass, students found that despite their best efforts, they could not swing the ball so that the cord remained exactly horizontal.
On the diagram of the rotating mass below, draw a force diagram of the force acting on the mass and identify each force. Don't include any force component in this diagram.
