Centripetal Acceleration Calculator

Calculate the inward acceleration of circular motion from speed and radius.

About Centripetal Acceleration Calculator

Centripetal acceleration points toward the centre of the circle and grows with the square of speed. Expressing it in g is the most intuitive form, since that is what occupants and components actually feel. A centrifuge at a few thousand rpm generates thousands of g, which follows directly from ω²r.

Formula

Centripetal Acceleration

a = v² ÷ r, equivalently a = ω² r

ω: Angular velocity in radians per second
g: Expressed in multiples of Earth gravity

Worked example

With the default values below, Centripetal Acceleration Calculator returns Centripetal Acceleration of 11.250. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Speedminimum 0 m/s: 30 m/s
Radiusminimum 0.01 m: 80 m
Alternatively, rotational speedminimum 0 rpm: 0 rpm

Results

Centripetal Acceleration: 11.250 m/s2
Acceleration in g: 1.147 g
Angular Velocity: 0.3750 rad/s
Time for One Revolution: 16.755 s
Acceleration From the Rotational Speed: 0.000 m/s2

Step by step

1Values used
2Centripetal Acceleration
3Centripetal Acceleration= 11.250 m/s2
4Acceleration in g= 1.147 g
5Angular Velocity= 0.3750 rad/s
6Time for One Revolution= 16.755 s
7Acceleration From the Rotational Speed= 0.000 m/s2

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 4 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Centripetal Acceleration calculated?

a = v² ÷ r, equivalently a = ω² r Centripetal acceleration points toward the centre of the circle and grows with the square of speed. Expressing it in g is the most intuitive form, since that is what occupants and components actually feel.

Why does Centripetal Acceleration matter?

A centrifuge at a few thousand rpm generates thousands of g, which follows directly from ω²r.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 3 inputs: Speed, Radius, Alternatively, rotational speed. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.