how is centripetal acceleration different from tangential acceleration?

Question

physics circular motion

Answer 1

Centripetal acceleration is pointed inward, toward the axis of rotation, and tangential acceleration acts tangent to the circular path.

Centripetal acceleration acts to keep an object moving in a circular path. A constant centripetal acceleration means that the object is moving at a constant speed around some axis in a circular motion. Although the object’s speed is constant, its velocity vector is continually changing due to the net centripetal force and the object accelerates inward.

Tangential acceleration acts to increase the speed of the object around the circle. A constant tangential acceleration does mean that the object’s speed will change. The object’s speed around the circular path will increase (assuming a_t is positive) and will thus require a higher centripetal acceleration if it is to maintain a circular path.

Answer 2

No it does not have tangential acceleration. Yes its velocity vector is changing direction as it rotates. Remember acceleration is a change in velocity regardless of whether its due to a change in magnitude or direction. But the change in the velocity vector is due to the change in the direction of the centripetal acceleration vector not a tangential acceleration. Yes any rotating point always has centripetal acceleration. If the magnitude of the centripetal acceleration vector is constant then the angular velocity of the point is also constant, If the magnitude of the centripetal acceleration vector is changing then the angular velocity will not be constant and the point will not be in uniform circular motion. No, your example is still considered uniform circular motion. No there will not be tangential acceleration. Yes there will be centripetal acceleration at all points on the frame. Bottom Line: The tangential velocity of a point in uniform circular motion always changes but its change is due to the centripetal acceleration not a tangential acceleration.

Answer 3

The centripetal force is the external force required to make a body follow a circular path at constant speed. The force is directed inward, toward the center of the circle. Hence it is a force requirement, not a particular kind of force. Any force (gravitational, electromagnetic, etc.) can act as a centripetal force. The term centripetal force comes from the Latin words centrum ("center") and petere ("tend towards").

The centripetal force always acts perpendicular to the direction of motion of the body. In the case of an object that moves along a circular arc with a changing speed, the net force on the body may be decomposed into a perpendicular component that changes the direction of motion (the centripetal force), and a parallel, or tangential component, that changes the speed.

The velocity vector is defined by the speed and also by the direction of motion. Objects experiencing no net force do not accelerate and, hence, move in a straight line with constant speed: they have a constant velocity. However, an object moving in a circle at constant speed has a changing direction of motion. The rate of change of the object's velocity vector is the centripetal acceleration.

The centripetal acceleration varies with the radius r of the circle and speed v of the object, becoming larger for greater speed and smaller radius. More precisely, the centripetal acceleration is given by

\mathbf{a}_c = -\frac{v^2}{r} \hat{\mathbf{r}} = -\frac{v^2}{r} \frac{\mathbf{r}}{r} = -\omega^2 \mathbf{r}

where ω = v / r is the angular velocity. The negative sign indicates that the direction of this acceleration is towards the center of the circle, i.e., opposite to the position vector \mathbf{r}. (We assume that the origin of \mathbf{r} is the center of the circle.)

By Newton's second law of motion F = ma, a physical force F must be applied to a mass m to produce this acceleration. The amount of force needed to move at speed v on a circle of radius r is:

\mathbf{F}_c = -\frac{m v^2}{r} \hat{\mathbf{r}} = -\frac{m v^2}{r} \frac{\mathbf{r}}{r} = -m \omega^2 \mathbf{r} = m \boldsymbol\omega \times (\boldsymbol\omega \times \boldsymbol r )

where the formula has been written in several equivalent ways; here, \hat{\mathbf{r}} is the unit vector in the \mathbf{r} direction and \boldsymbol\omega is the angular velocity vector. Again, the negative sign indicates that the direction of the force is inwards, towards the center of the circle and opposite to the direction of the radius vector \mathbf{r}. If the applied force is less or more than Fc, the object will "slip outwards" or "slip inwards", moving on a larger or smaller circle, respectively.

If an object is traveling in a circle with a varying speed, its acceleration can be divided into two components, a radial acceleration (the centripetal acceleration that changes the direction of the velocity) and a tangential acceleration that changes the magnitude of the velocity.

[edit] Examples

For a satellite in orbit around a planet, the centripetal force is supplied by the gravitational attraction between the satellite and the planet, and acts toward the center of mass of the two objects. For an object at the end of a rope rotating about a vertical axis, the centripetal force is the horizontal component of the tension of the rope, which acts towards the center of mass between the axis of rotation and the rotating object. For a spinning object, internal tensile stress is the centripetal force that holds the object together in one piece.

Answer 4

I suppose centripetal acceleration refers to acceleration directed towars the centre when a body is moving in a circular path and tangential acceleration is when the speed of an object moving in a circular path keeps changing.

Answer 5

As name suggests the centripetal acceleration acts towards center of circle and tangential acceleraton acts in the direction of tangent to the circle. Centripetal acceleration only changes thedirection of velocity and not the magnitude but tangential acceleration changes the magnitude of velocity(sometimes even the direction)

Answer 6

linear acceleration is the rate of change of velocity while angular acceleration is the rate of change of angular velocity.
or
linear acce is the rate of change of change of distance in linear motion while angular acc is the rate of change of change of angle.

it are the same concept in different types of motion.

Answer 7

Two branches of the same concept!

Answer 8

ask your physics teacher