PhysRefPhysics reference
Category
Mechanics

Centripetal Acceleration

Acceleration pointing toward center of circular path.

Variables

a_c
Centripetal acceleration
Toward center
m/s²
v
Tangential velocity
Speed along circle
m/s
r
Radius
Radius of path
m
ω
Angular velocity
Rate of rotation
rad/s

Derivation

From geometry: a_c = v²/r. With v = ωr: a_c = ω²r.

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