The centripetal acceleration of a body moving in a circle of radius r with speed v is
- A. v squared divided by r, directed towards the centre
- B. v squared times r, directed away from the centre
- C. v divided by r squared, directed along the tangent
- D. zero, since the speed is constant
Explanation
The acceleration has magnitude v squared over r, equivalently r omega squared, and always points at the centre, which is why it is called centripetal or centre seeking. It changes only the direction of motion and never the speed, since it is perpendicular to the velocity at every instant. That perpendicularity is also why it does no work.
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