Q.If the speed of a body moving in uniform circular motion is doubled, then the centripetal force acting on the body on a circular path of the same radius will be
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Centripetal Force: The Invisible Hand That Keeps Things Going in Circles
Imagine you're in a car taking a sharp turn to the left. You feel yourself being pushed to the right, against the door. That feeling — that's your body trying to keep moving straight while the car turns. Now here's the key insight: you don't actually feel a force pushing you outward. What you feel is your own inertia — your body's natural desire to keep moving in a straight line.
The real force is the one the car door exerts on you, pushing you inward toward the centre of the turn. That inward push is centripetal force.
The Intuition: Why Does Anything Need a Force to Go in a Circle?
Newton's first law says: an object in motion stays in motion in a straight line unless acted on by an external force. A straight line is the "default" path. To make something go in a circle — which is a constantly changing direction — you need a force that continuously pulls it away from that straight line.
Think of a stone tied to a string, whirled around your head. The string is taut. That tension is the centripetal force. If you let go, the stone doesn't fly outward — it flies off tangentially, in a straight line from the point of release. The string was constantly pulling it inward, preventing it from escaping.
The word "centripetal" comes from Latin: centrum (centre) + petere (to seek). It means "centre-seeking." This is the opposite of "centrifugal" (centre-fleeing), which is a fictitious force you feel only in a rotating reference frame — not a real force in physics.
The Precise Statement
Centripetal force is any force that causes an object to follow a curved path, directed toward the centre of curvature of that path. It is not a new, independent force like gravity or friction. It is the name we give to the net force that points radially inward when an object moves in a circle.
For uniform circular motion (constant speed v along a circle of radius r), the magnitude of centripetal force is:
Fc=rmv2
Where:
- m = mass of the object
- v = speed (magnitude of velocity)
- r = radius of the circular path
The corresponding centripetal acceleration (which is always perpendicular to velocity) is:
ac=rv2
This acceleration points toward the centre. It is not constant in direction — it rotates as the object moves — but its magnitude is constant for uniform circular motion.
What Provides the Centripetal Force?
Centripetal force is always supplied by some real physical interaction. Here are common examples:
| Situation | What provides centripetal force |
|---|---|
| Car turning on a flat road | Friction between tyres and road |
| Satellite orbiting Earth | Gravitational attraction |
| Stone on a string | Tension in the string |
| Electron orbiting a nucleus | Electrostatic attraction |
| A roller coaster looping the loop | Normal force from the track (plus gravity at the top) |
Centripetal force is F = mv^2/r. Doubling the speed (v -> 2v) makes v^2 four times larger, so at the same radius the force becomes four times greater. …
F = mv^2/r; doubling v gives 4x the force. Answer (B).
The centripetal force needed for uniform circular motion is F = mv^2/r.
With mass m and radius r unchanged, F is proportional to v^2. If v becomes 2v:
…
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.Case study: Friction is a resistive force that arises when there is relative motion between two surfaces, provided the two surfaces are irregular relative to each other. Frictional force always opposes motion, i.e. it always acts in the direction opposite to the motion. Rubbing two objects against each other causes wear and tear due to friction, and heat energy is also generated. A cyclist travels on a circular track of radius 100 metres. If the coefficient of friction is .2, what is the maximum speed with which the cyclist can safely take the turn? (g = 9.8 m/s²)(a) 14 m/s(b) 140 m/s(c) 1.4 m/s(d) 9.8 m/s
›Reveal solutionSolution
vmax=μgr=0.2×9.8×100=196=14 m/s.
On a flat (unbanked) circular track, the centripetal force needed to keep the cyclist turning is provided entirely by friction between the tyres and the road. The maximum available friction force is fmax=μmg (limiting/static friction), so the maximum safe speed is when this friction exactly equals the required centripetal force: …
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.If the speed of a body moving in uniform circular motion is doubled, then the centripetal force acting on the body on a circular path of the same radius will be(a) double(b) quadruple(c) half(d) same as before
›Reveal solutionSolution
F = mv^2/r; doubling v gives 4x the force. Answer (B).
The centripetal force needed for uniform circular motion is F = mv^2/r.
With mass m and radius r unchanged, F is proportional to v^2. If v becomes 2v:
…
- CBSE 2024Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.If a person is moving from Pole to Equator, the centrifugal force acting on him:(a) remains the same(b) increases(c) first increases and then decreases(d) decreases
›Reveal solutionSolution
Centrifugal force due to Earth's rotation is Fc = m ω² R cos λ, where λ is the latitude; it is zero at the poles and maximum at the equator.
A person standing on the rotating Earth moves in a circle of radius r = R cos λ about the Earth's rotation axis, where R is the Earth's radius and λ is the latitude of the place.
The centrifugal (pseudo) force experienced in the rotating frame is Fc = m ω² r = m ω² R cos λ.
At the poles, λ = 90°, so cos λ = 0, giving Fc = 0.
At the equator, λ = 0°, so cos λ = 1, giving the maximum value Fc = m ω² R.
…
- CBSE 2022Set TERM11 markMCQQ.The centripetal force acting on a body undergoing circular motion is(1) m ω^2 r(2) m ω r^2(3) m ω^2 r^2(4) m ω^2 / r
›Reveal solutionSolution
Centripetal force provides the centripetal acceleration a = ω^2 r (or v^2/r) required for circular motion; by Newton's second law, F = ma = m ω^2 r.
For a body of mass m moving in a circle of radius r with angular velocity ω, the linear speed is v = ωr.
The centripetal acceleration (directed toward the centre) is: …
- CBSE 2022Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.A body of mass m is moving on a circle of radius r with uniform speed v. The centripetal force on body is:(a) mv²/r(b) mvr(c) mv/r(d) mv/r²
›Reveal solutionSolution
The centripetal force needed to keep a mass m moving in a circle of radius r at speed v is F=mv2/r.
Derivation. A body moving on a circular path of radius r with uniform speed v has centripetal (radial) acceleration directed toward the centre:
ac=rv2 …
- CBSE 2021Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.A body of mass m is moving on a circle of radius r with uniform speed v. The centripetal force on body is :(a) mv²/r(b) mvr(c) mv/r(d) mv/r²
›Reveal solutionSolution
Centripetal force is the mass times the centripetal acceleration v2/r.
A body moving in a circle of radius r with uniform speed v continuously changes direction, so it has a centripetal (radially inward) acceleration:
ac=rv2
…
- CBSE 2020Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The centripetal force acting on a body undergoing circular motion is:(a) mw^2/r(b) mwr(c) mv^2/r(d) mv^2 r
›Reveal solutionSolution
Centripetal force is the net force directed toward the centre needed to keep a body moving in a circle; in terms of linear speed it is F = mv^2/r.
For a body of mass m moving in a circle of radius r with speed v, the centripetal acceleration is a = v^2/r, directed toward the centre.
By Newton's second law, the required centripetal force is F = m a = m v^2 / r.
…
- CBSE 2020Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.A stone of mass 0.5 kg tied to a string executes uniform circular motion in a circle of radius 2 m with a speed of 4 ms^-1. The magnitude of tension acting on the stone will be:(a) 3 N(b) 10 N(c) 0.5 N(d) 4 N
›Reveal solutionSolution
The tension supplies the centripetal force, T = mv^2/r = 4 N.
For a body moving in a circle, the net inward (centripetal) force required is F = mv^2/r. Here this force is supplied entirely by the string tension T.
Given: m = 0.5 kg, r = 2 m, v = 4 m/s
…
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