Kinematics of uniform circular motion — common mistakes

Always remember that centripetal force is a resultant force – it isn't a new type of force! It's provided by existing forces like tension, gravity, or friction. Also, ensure your angles are in radians when using angular velocity formulas.

Linear velocity ($v$) describes how fast an object is moving along its path, tangent to the circle, and its unit is m s⁻¹. Angular velocity ($\omega$) describes how fast the angle is changing from the centre, measured in radians per second (rad s⁻¹), and it applies to the rotation itself.

No, an object in uniform circular motion is always accelerating. Even though its speed is constant, its direction of motion is continuously changing. Since velocity is a vector quantity (magnitude and direction), a change in direction means a change in velocity, which by definition is acceleration.

The centripetal force is often provided by other familiar forces. For instance, gravity provides the centripetal force for satellites orbiting Earth, tension provides it for a ball swung on a string, and friction provides it for a car turning a corner.