Which situations are examples of a particle with a non-zero acceleration? (Select all that are true for full credit.)
a)A car driving around a circular track at constant speed.
b)A child going back and forth on a swing
c)A runner moving in a straight line with a constant speed.
d)A car driving in a straight line and coming to a stop at a stop sign.
a,non-zero centripetal acceleration,
b,aceleration and deceleration
d, deceleration
To determine which situations are examples of a particle with a non-zero acceleration, we need to understand the concept of acceleration.
Acceleration is the rate at which an object's velocity changes. It is defined as the change in velocity divided by the change in time. A non-zero acceleration means that the velocity of an object is changing.
Now let's analyze each situation:
a) A car driving around a circular track at constant speed.
In this situation, although the car is moving in a circular track, its speed remains constant. Since the speed is constant, there is no change in velocity, which means there is no acceleration. Therefore, this situation does not involve a particle with a non-zero acceleration.
b) A child going back and forth on a swing.
When a child goes back and forth on a swing, their speed and direction are changing continuously. As the child swings higher, their velocity increases. When they swing back down, their velocity decreases. These changes in velocity indicate that the child is experiencing acceleration. Therefore, this situation is an example of a particle with a non-zero acceleration.
c) A runner moving in a straight line with a constant speed.
Similar to situation (a), when a runner moves in a straight line with a constant speed, there is no change in velocity. When there is no change in velocity, there is no acceleration. Therefore, this situation does not involve a particle with a non-zero acceleration.
d) A car driving in a straight line and coming to a stop at a stop sign.
In this situation, the car starts with a non-zero velocity and comes to a stop at the stop sign. Since the velocity is changing from non-zero to zero, there is a change in velocity, indicating acceleration. Therefore, this situation is an example of a particle with a non-zero acceleration.
In summary, the situations that are examples of a particle with a non-zero acceleration are:
- b) A child going back and forth on a swing.
- d) A car driving in a straight line and coming to a stop at a stop sign.