🎡 Circular Motion & Centripetal Force

📖 The Physics

Here is a surprise: in uniform circular motion the speed stays constant, yet the object is still accelerating. How? Because velocity has a direction, and the direction is changing every instant. That acceleration always points to the centre.

The green velocity arrow is always tangent to the circle (the way the object would fly off), while the red centripetal force always points inward and is what bends the path into a circle.

Spin faster (bigger ω) or use a larger radius and the required inward force shoots up. Cut the force (the string snaps) and the mass would fly off along the tangent — straight along the green arrow.