Work and
Circular Motion
All centripetal forces do
no work, since the force is
directed toward the center
and the motion is tangent
to the circle.Here’s How to Crack It
The first thing to do in problems like this is to identify what force(s) provide the
centripetal force. In this example, the tension in the string provides the centripetal
force:
Centripetal vs.
Centrifugal
Centripetal force is
the force necessary to
maintain circular motion,
directed toward the
center. The so-called
“centrifugal force” is
what an object feels as
it moves in a circle (an
outward “force”). This is
not actually a force, but
the effect of the object’s
inertia (its resistance to
acceleration), and this
points away from the
center of the circle.