Question

what type of motion is represented by the tip of the minute hand of your wrist watch? is it uniform motion or acceleration motion?

Answer 1

The type of motion represented by the tip of a wristwatch is UNIFORM CIRCULAR MOTION.

Answer 2

The tip of the minutes hand moves in a circular path. The hand & the tip also turn the same amount of angle 360 deg/1minute = 6 deg/sec. This is constant angular velocity.

This type of motion is called uniform circular motion (with constant angular velocity). The linear velocity of the tip of minutes hand is changing at all instants. The magnitude of velocity = radius * angular velocity = constant. It is also a periodic motion as the tip of the hand retraces the path after 1 hour (Time period).

The angular acceleration of the tip = 0 as angular velocity is constant.

The linear velocity changes its direction. So linear acceleration is not zero. It actually points towards the center of circle (fixed end of minutes hand). This linear acceleration is called centripetal acceleration. So it is accelerated motion also.