a hammar thower spins a hammer in a circle. What happens when the centripetal force drops to 0
a centripetal force cannot drop to 0
the hammer frops straight to the ground
the hammer flies off at a tangent to its circular path
the hamer continues in the circular motion
When the centripetal force drops to 0, the object (in this case, the hammer) will no longer be able to maintain its circular motion. According to Newton's first law of motion, an object in motion will continue moving in a straight line at a constant speed unless acted upon by an external force. Therefore, the hammer will fly off at a tangent to its circular path.
When the centripetal force drops to 0, the hammer flies off at a tangent to its circular path. This is because the centripetal force is responsible for constantly changing the direction of the hammer, keeping it in a circular motion. When the centripetal force disappears, there is no force acting towards the center of the circle, causing the hammer to move in a straight line tangent to its original circular path.
When the centripetal force drops to zero, the hammer would continue to move in a straight line, tangential to its circular path. This is known as the first law of motion, also called Newton’s law of inertia, which states that an object in motion will stay in motion with a constant velocity in a straight line unless acted upon by an external force.
To understand why the hammer would move in a straight line, we need to understand the concept of centripetal force. Centripetal force is the force that keeps an object moving in a circular path. It acts towards the center of the circle and is responsible for changing the direction of the object's motion while it is in circular motion.
In the case of the hammer being spun in a circle, the centripetal force is provided by the tension in the string or the hand holding the hammer. As long as there is sufficient centripetal force, the hammer will continuously move in a circular path.
However, if the centripetal force drops to zero, it means there is no longer a force pulling the hammer towards the center of the circle. Without this force, the hammer will no longer be able to change its direction and will move in a straight line tangential to its circular path.
So, when the centripetal force drops to zero, the hammer will fly off at a tangent to its circular path.