What is the angle between the velocity vector and the acceleration vector of an
Practice Questions
Q1
What is the angle between the velocity vector and the acceleration vector of an object moving in uniform circular motion?
0°
45°
90°
180°
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What is the angle between the velocity vector and the acceleration vector of an object moving in uniform circular motion?
Correct Answer: 90°
Step 1: Understand that uniform circular motion means an object is moving in a circle at a constant speed.
Step 2: Identify the direction of the velocity vector. In circular motion, the velocity vector points tangentially to the circle at any point.
Step 3: Identify the direction of the acceleration vector. In uniform circular motion, the acceleration vector points towards the center of the circle (this is called centripetal acceleration).
Step 4: Visualize the two vectors. The velocity vector (tangential) and the acceleration vector (radial) are perpendicular to each other.
Step 5: Conclude that since the two vectors are perpendicular, the angle between the velocity vector and the acceleration vector is 90°.
