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Centripetal vs tangential acceleration

Free notes · JEE Main Physics

Formulas

a=ac2+at2a = \sqrt{a_c^2 + a_t^2}

Total acceleration in curved motion

Worked example

A car speeds up while turning on a circular track. Its total acceleration:

  1. Speeding up gives tangential acceleration; turning gives radial acceleration.
  2. Total = vector sum of both.

Answer: Is the vector sum of radial and tangential parts