chegg the centripetal acceleration might better be expressed as −ω2r⃗ (t) because it is a vector. the magnitude of the centripetal acceleration is v2radial/r . the magnitude of the centripetal acceleration is v2tangential/r . a particle that is going along a path with local radius of curvature r at speed s experiences a centripetal acceleration −s2/r . if you are in a car turning left, the force you feel pushing you to the right is the force that causes the centripetal acceleration.