ABSTRACT
In uniform circular motion, an object travels in a circle of radius, R, with a constant speed, v (Figure 5.1). The velocity is tangential to the circle. Even though the speed doesn’t change, the direction of the velocity vector continuously changes as the object goes around. This is a type of acceleration because acceleration is change in velocity over time. We call it centripetal acceleration, where “centripetal” means pointing toward the center.
