Asked by christian

How does a centripetal force cause circular motion?

It acts at a right angle to the object’s motion and causes the object to constantly change direction.
It acts at a right angle to the object’s motion and causes the object to constantly change speed.
It acts in the direction of the object’s motion and causes the object to constantly change direction.
It acts in the direction of the object’s motion and causes the object to constantly change speed.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
It acts at a right angle to the object’s motion and causes the object to constantly change direction.

Explanation: a centripetal force points toward the center, perpendicular to the instantaneous velocity, producing a centripetal acceleration (a = v^2/r) that continuously rotates the velocity vector without changing its magnitude, so the speed stays (approximately) constant.