A merry-go-round moves in a circle at a constant speed. Is the merry-go-round accelerating? Explain your answer.
1 answer
No, the merry-go-round is not accelerating. Acceleration is defined as the change in speed or direction of an object. Since the merry-go-round is moving in a circle at a constant speed, its speed is not changing and therefore there is no acceleration. The direction is changing, but since the velocity vector is tangent to the circle, it is not considered acceleration.