explain why the motion of a body which is moving with constant speed in a circular path is said to be accelerated
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Hi, I have posted an answer to a similar quetion earlier but will repeat a variation.
The key element is the difference in speed and velocity and that difference is that velocity has a direction. If a body moving at a constant speed changes direction then it’s velocity has changed. I can see that this can be a bit theoretical so let me be practical.
Let’s ignore for a moment the circular bit.
If you saw a car moving at a given speed along a straight road past you and, a little while later, saw the same car coming back towards you at the same speed, what would you believe. Almost certainly that the car had decelerated to a stop and then accelerated back up to speed in the return direction. (There is an alternative explanation which is relevant to your question, see below.)
If you can understand that then the next bit should be easy.
Stand in an open place facing North with a stone tied to a length of string. Whirl it around you so the stone is rotating on the end of the rope with you as the centre (if this is a problem, any small child will be able to help:-).
Now, if you are right handed, you will probably have the stone whirling in a circle so that it crosses in front of you, flying East to West. Now, if you look behind you, you will see that the stone is flying West to East.
Somehow, in a half a revolution, the stone has exactly reversed it’s speed, just like the car from above.
So, if those two positions were the only ones you could see, you would assume, as in the case of the car, that the stone had decelarated and the accelerated.
However, returning to the car, the alternative explanation mentioned above could be that it drove around a roundabout (Traffic circles or rotaries, for our American friends) without ever stopping or changing speed in order to come back at you.
Thus, practically, the two examples are identical and show why circular motion at constant speed requires acceleration as part of the description.
Hope that helps.
The key element is the difference in speed and velocity and that difference is that velocity has a direction. If a body moving at a constant speed changes direction then it’s velocity has changed. I can see that this can be a bit theoretical so let me be practical.
Let’s ignore for a moment the circular bit.
If you saw a car moving at a given speed along a straight road past you and, a little while later, saw the same car coming back towards you at the same speed, what would you believe. Almost certainly that the car had decelerated to a stop and then accelerated back up to speed in the return direction. (There is an alternative explanation which is relevant to your question, see below.)
If you can understand that then the next bit should be easy.
Stand in an open place facing North with a stone tied to a length of string. Whirl it around you so the stone is rotating on the end of the rope with you as the centre (if this is a problem, any small child will be able to help:-).
Now, if you are right handed, you will probably have the stone whirling in a circle so that it crosses in front of you, flying East to West. Now, if you look behind you, you will see that the stone is flying West to East.
Somehow, in a half a revolution, the stone has exactly reversed it’s speed, just like the car from above.
So, if those two positions were the only ones you could see, you would assume, as in the case of the car, that the stone had decelarated and the accelerated.
However, returning to the car, the alternative explanation mentioned above could be that it drove around a roundabout (Traffic circles or rotaries, for our American friends) without ever stopping or changing speed in order to come back at you.
Thus, practically, the two examples are identical and show why circular motion at constant speed requires acceleration as part of the description.
Hope that helps.
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Answer:
the motion of a body which is moving with constant speed in a circular path is said to be accelerated because when a body is moving in a circular path it is moving with constant speed but its velocity which is the direction of speed changes continuously by time change in velocity upon time is equal to acceleration hence we can say that if a body is moving in a circular path its speed will be constant but its velocity will be accelerated aur motion will be accelerated
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