For the past few months I have had my driver's permit and have been learning to drive. Learning about circular motion these past few weeks has helped me to explain some of the phenomena I feel while driving. Every time I drive I have to go through a roundabout on Ford Island in order to get home or leave the island. Here I have experienced circular motion. While turning through the curve I always seem to be pulled to the opposite side as the way I am turning. This is because when I turn my body continues in the straight line that it was originally moving while the car turns. The reason that I am able to turn with the car is because I am wearing a seat-belt which applies a force to pull me in the direction that the car is turning.
Also, as the car is turning, it has a tangential velocity that is equal to the radius of the circle times the angular velocity. Even though I may stay the same speed while turning in the circle, my acceleration is changing because acceleration is change in angular velocity which is speed and direction. Because I am continually changing direction, my acceleration is constantly changing.
Also, there is a net force directed radially inward of mv^2/r which is the centrepetal acceleration in this case.
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