Circular Motion 2
A particle performs a uniform circular motion. Which of the following statement(s) is/are true?
Statement A
: The acceleration of the particle is constant.
Statement B
: The velocity of the particle is constant.
Statement C
: The speed of the particle is constant.
This problem is part of the set - Circular Motion Practice
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1 solution
Since the particle performs uniform circular motion, this means the tangential acceleration of the particle is zero. It only has radial acceleration. Now let's look at each statement individually.
Statement A
The particle has only radial acceleration, so the direction of the acceleration is always towards the center of the circle of motion. Remember that acceleration is a vector quantity. It's magnitude may remain constant, it's always v 2 / r , but the direction of acceleration is changing with time, thus it would be wrong to say that acceleration of the particle is constant. Statement A is False .
Statement B
Velocity is a vector quantity too. Its direction is changing, so velocity is changing. Thus, the velocity of the particle is not constant. Statement B is False .
Statement C
Speed is a scalar quantity. Its magnitude is constant, therefore Statement C is True □