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A car undergoes a uniform circular motion. The acceleration of the car is-
Explanation
In uniform circular motion, a car travels along a circular path at a constant speed. While the magnitude of the velocity (speed) remains constant, the direction of the velocity vector changes continuously at every point along the path. Since acceleration is defined as the rate of change of velocity, this change in direction necessitates a non-zero acceleration. This is known as centripetal acceleration, which always points toward the center of the circle. Although the magnitude of this acceleration is constant (given by v²/r), acceleration is a vector quantity. Because the direction of the acceleration vector is always changing as the car moves around the circle, the acceleration itself is not constant. Therefore, the acceleration is non-zero but not a constant vector.
Sources
- [1] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 23: Pressure Systems and Wind System > Centripetal Acceleration > p. 309