A particle that moves uniformly in a circular path is accelerating yet moving at a constant speed. Explain this statement.

Acceleration is a change in velocity over time. Velocity is different to speed, because it has a direction (for example a car moving at 10 mph along a road heading north will have a greater velocity due north than a car moving at 10 mph along a road heading north-east).

A particle moving in a circular path is constantly slightly changing its direction. Therefore its velocity is changing, and as a result so is its acceleration. If we take the particle to be a satellite and the circular path to be the orbit around the earth, the satellite is constantly accelerating towards the centre of the earth, like an object in free fall. However its forward velocity balances out the downward acceleration, which causes it to move in a circular path around the earth. The downward acceleration brings it lower only as much as the curvature of the earth itself. 

AL
Answered by Anna L. Physics tutor

15793 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

A spacecraft needs to be slowed down from a speed of 96m/s to 8.2m/s. This can be done by firing an object as the spacecraft is moving. If the mass of the spacecraft is 6730kg and the object is 50kg, calculate the velocity of the ejected object.


Explain why gas bubbles rise faster through magma as they start to expand. (3)


Single electrons travelling at 550 ms^-1 are passed through a diffraction grating with a spacing between the slits of 2.5 micrometers. What would the angle between the zeroth and first maximum of the resulting interference pattern be?


Explain the Doppler Shift Effect, and how it can be used to measure blood flow in the body.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences