Physics A-Level
Centripetal acceleration magnitude and direction
What Centripetal acceleration magnitude and direction means in Physics A-Level, as defined for OCR.
Definition of Centripetal acceleration magnitude and direction
Check what you remember
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Reference: OCR
For a body moving at speed v on a circle of radius r the magnitude is a = v²/r, directed towards the centre.
Topics that use Centripetal acceleration magnitude and direction
- Centripetal force (OCR A-Level)
Related terms
- Centripetal acceleration
- Centripetal force
- Difference between speed and velocity
- Newton's first law and inertia
- Relationship between linear and angular quantities
- Rigid-body rotation
- Vector nature of velocity and acceleration
- Constant speed in circular motion
Using Centripetal acceleration magnitude and direction in the exam
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