Question: What is the minimum speed required to simulate weightlessness?

The phenomenon called weightlessness occurs when in no support force acting on our bodies.

When the body is in free fall, accelerating downward (at the acceleration of gravity), then you are not

being supported. The apparent weight sensation comes from the support that is felt from the floor or

any other surface (Study Package Science, Class 9). Weightlessness can be related to the centripetal

acceleration, then the condition for weightlessness will be:

𝑣2
= 𝑔;
𝑅

𝑣𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 = √𝑔𝑅

Hypothesis

Artificial gravity is an acceleration that occurs as result of the application of a force. The

centripetal force is directed towards the center of an object and it makes the object to move in a

circular path, according with its formula shows that rotation’s radius increases with the orbital period

square. The formula can be represented in different ways as follows to solve the problem:

𝐹𝑛𝑒𝑡 = 𝑚𝑎

𝑚𝑣 2
𝐹𝑁 + 𝐹𝑔 =
𝑅

Because the net force is zero, so 𝐹𝑁 is equal to zero

𝑚 𝑣2
𝑚𝑔 =
𝑅

Therefore, we can calculate the minimum velocity:

𝑣𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 = √𝑔𝑅

Finally, we need to considerer the gravity force equal to 𝑔 = 9.8 𝑚/𝑠 2 , and a radius 𝑅 from the

shoulder to the bottom of the bucket 𝑅 = 0.89 𝑚

𝑣𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 = √(9.8 𝑚⁄𝑠 2 )(0.89 𝑚)

𝑣𝑤𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 = 2.95 𝑚/𝑠

This is the minimum theoretical velocity that allows the ball to stay in the bottom of the bucket and

the expected velocity to obtain through the experiment.

Materials

 A bucket with strong handle;

 A tennis ball;

 Measuring tape; and

 Stopwatch.

Procedure

1. You must to gather all material required;

2. Measure the distance from the bottom of the bucket to your shoulder when your arm is

completely extended;

3. Conduct this operation in a place with a lot of space;

4. Place the ball in the bucket and swing the bucket in a vertical circle at a fairly fast speed. The

ball should stay in the bottom of the bucket;

5. Continuing this action, slow the speed to the minimal speed that will allow the ball to stay in

the bucket (you may need to try this several times); and

6. When you are confident that you are twirling the bucket at the minimal speed that will keep

the ball inside, have your lab partner time the elapsed time of five complete revolutions; and

7. Finally, create a data table with your observations and summarize your results.

Observations
 At first, there is some difficulty to maintain the ball in the bottom of the bucket. In the other

hand, the ball is quite light, so an individual cannot feel the right minimum velocity to keep it stay, and

the individuals wrist has a little problem, therefore, he cannot swing the bucket into a proper circle.

It was easier for me to keep the ball in the bucket with fast speed, but when I tried to slow it down to

the minimum velocity, I saw that the ball started to move. From my perception when you swing a

slower velocity than 2.95 𝑚/𝑠 the ball will drop out of the bucket. Finally, when I swing the bucket

to the top, the velocity is slower than the velocity of the bucket when I swing down to the bottom. I

think this happen because when you go up, you go against acceleration gravity, so when you go down,

the gravity pulls it down, so the velocity is faster.

Results

Consider that distance from shoulder to the bottom of the bucket is 𝑅 = 0.89 𝑚, then build

the data table requested considering five complete revolutions (five trials).

Time taken for 5 Time taken for 1 Minimum

Radius (𝒎)
revolutions (𝒔) revolution (𝒔) velocity (𝒎/𝒔)

Trial 1 0.89 𝑚 9.28 𝑠 1.86 𝑠 3.01 𝑚/𝑠

Trial 2 0.89 𝑚 9.67 𝑠 1.93 𝑠 2.90 𝑚/𝑠

Trial 3 0.89 𝑚 9.57 𝑠 1.91 𝑠 2.93 𝑚/𝑠

Trial 4 0.89 𝑚 9.68 𝑠 1.94 𝑠 2.88 𝑚/𝑠

Trial 5 0.89 𝑚 9.43 𝑠 1.89 𝑠 2.96 𝑚/𝑠

Mean: 𝟗. 𝟓𝟎 𝒔 𝟏. 𝟗𝟎 𝒔 𝟐. 𝟗𝟒 𝒎/𝒔
Based on all the number we can calculated the minimum velocity. Therefore, we have an equation:

𝑎 = 4𝜋 2 𝑅⁄𝑇 2. When we have the centripetal acceleration, we can find the minimum velocity when

𝑎 = 𝑣 2 ⁄𝑅 .

For our example:

4𝜋 2 (0.89𝑚)
𝑎=
(1.9𝑠)2

𝑎 = 9.7 𝑚/𝑠 2

Then we can find the minimum velocity:

𝑣2
𝑎=
𝑅

𝑣 = √𝑅𝑎

𝑣 = 2.94 𝑚/𝑠

For the time taken for 1 revolution:

𝑇1 = 𝑇5 ⁄5, where:

𝑇1 = 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 1 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛; and

𝑇5 = 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 5 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠.

Discussion

We studied about forces and centripetal acceleration. The circular motion is a movement of

an object in a circular path with uniform velocity. In this experiment the velocity is constant but the

bucket always accelerating. The reason for this is, it direction is always changing so it is accelerating.
Therefore, weightlessness is a vertical circular movement that causes that an object moves in circular

path when the force of gravity is equal to zero.

From my perception, there was a small little detail in the material that affect the result of this

experiment. It was the bucket with strong handle. Therefore, when I was twirling the bucket, the

handle connects with my hand, so that it hard for me to swing it in circular path. The solution for this

problem was that instead of holding the bucket with our hand, we can connect the handle with a small

rope. The rope will make the bucket to move smother and in a proper circle. Moreover, the rope will

give us greater uniform velocity since the rope very flexible and mobility provided by the rope.

Finally, the air resistance is a very important concept to considerer, somehow play a

significant role in this lab. When the bucket has a round-shape, the air resistance will distribute

equally to the bucket surface. But using a square shape, some place will have more air resistance than

other, therefore it will be more difficult to handle.

Conclusion

The results obtained through the laboratory tests carried out are quite similar to those obtained

with the theoretical calculations of centripetal acceleration. We have verified that the hypothesis that

we proposed worked to solve the problem and to know more deeply about the concept of

weightlessness.

References

1. Study Package Science, Class 9, DISHA PUBLICATION, available on:

https://books.google.com.mx/books?id=gx1bDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA299&dq=weightlessness+eq

uation+centripetal+acceleration&hl=es-419&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiC5Jnw-
 67dAhUOOq0KHcTnAq4Q6AEIMDAB#v=onepage&q=weightlessness%20equation%20centr

ipetal%20acceleration&f=falsea7dAhUNlKwKHR5oCecQ6AEISDAE#v=onepage&q=weightl

essness%20equation%20free%20fall&f=false

2. Kirk, Tim, Physics for the IB Diploma, Oxford University Press (2003), available on:

https://books.google.com.mx/books?id=P3rnOEeDX7AC&pg=PA63&dq=weightlessness+equa

tion+centripetal+acceleration&hl=es-419&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiC5Jnw-

67dAhUOOq0KHcTnAq4Q6AEIPzAD#v=onepage&q=weightlessness%20equation%20centrip

etal%20acceleration&f=false