Circular Motion Calculator

The Physics of Spin: Circular Motion

Uniform circular motion describes the movement of an object traveling in a circle at a constant speed. Although the speed is constant, the object's *velocity* is continuously changing because its direction is always changing. This change in velocity means the object is accelerating. This acceleration, called centripetal acceleration, is always directed towards the center of the circle. This calculator helps solve for the key variables in uniform circular motion: tangential velocity, centripetal acceleration, radius, and the period of rotation.