Question

State the reason for naming the acceleration of a particle moving in a circle with a constant speed as centripetal acceleration

Answer 1

Answer:

An object moving in a circular motion—such as a satellite orbiting the Earth—is accelerating due to the change of direction of motion, although its speed may be constant. In this case it is said to be undergoing centripetal (directed towards the center) acceleration.

Answer 2

Answer:

Figure shows an object moving in a circular path at constant speed. The direction of the instantaneous tangential velocity is shown at two points along the path. ... We call the acceleration of an object moving in uniform circular motion the centripetal acceleration ac because centripetal means “center seeking.”