Imagine driving your car in a circle, like you would when take a clover-leaf type of freeway exit, or make a right turn on a green light. Here’s how the forces play out during the motion:


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2 Responses to “Introduction to Circular Motion”

  1. Good question! First, there’s acceleration… a solid, hard hammer that swings and dents the wall does so by transferring its energy in an instant over a very small area. Your hand, soft and squishy as it is, is pushing the wall over a larger area which spreads out the force over a longer period of time. Also when you swing a hammer, it moves faster than you just putting your hand up to the wall, so that’s more kinetic energy stored in the head of the hammer for it to deliver with a single blow. That’s why hammer heads are so heavy… they are designed to store more kinetic energy at the same speed (think of the impact a ping pong ball versus a bowling ball, both going at at 10 miles per hour. Which is going to leave more of a mark? The one with a higher mass!) Depending on what the wall is made out of, different materials have different resistances to pressure. Have you ever noticed that it’s easier to push a nail through a sheet of balsa wood than it is to push it through solid oak?

  2. Karen Daley says:

    The coolest thing Karis learned from the video: there are roller coasters that go under water!

    Question – If you push on a wall and it has an equal and opposite force, then how come the wall is dented or damaged when you hit it with a hammer? Is the hammer overcoming the wall’s force?