Physics
Centripetal force calculator
Enter mass, speed and radius for an object in uniform circular motion. Get the centripetal force, acceleration, period and angular velocity.
Inputs
Result
Centripetal force F
4860N
Centripetal acceleration a
4.050m/s²
Period T
27.93s
Angular velocity ω
0.2250rad/s
F = mv²/r, a = v²/r, T = 2πr/v, ω = v/r.
How this calculator works
For an object of mass m moving at constant speed v in a circle of radius r, the net force toward the centre is F = mv²/r, supplied by whatever real force is acting (friction, tension, gravity, normal). The acceleration is a = v²/r, the period is T = 2πr/v, and the angular velocity is ω = v/r.
Common questions
- What is the centripetal force formula?
- F = mv²/r, where m is mass, v is speed and r is radius. The force is directed toward the centre of the circle and equals the net inward force from real forces like friction, tension or gravity.
- Is centripetal force a real force?
- No. It is the net force toward the centre. The real force can be friction (a car on a flat bend), tension (a ball on a string), gravity (a satellite), or a component of the normal force (a banked road).
- What is centripetal acceleration?
- a = v²/r, directed toward the centre of the circle. Even at constant speed, the velocity vector is changing direction, so the object is accelerating.
- How are speed, period and angular velocity related?
- v = 2πr/T and ω = v/r, so a = ω²r and F = mω²r as equivalent expressions.