A father swings his child around in a circle. The source of the centripetal force that keeps the child moving in a circle is _____.
tension
friction
weight
gravity
Do some thinking about it and let us know your opinion.
Weight and gravity are the same thing. How would they help the swinging process? What is the usual role of friction?
What kind of force does the father exert on the child?
friction
Tension
The source of the centripetal force that keeps the child moving in a circle is tension.
To understand why, it's important to know that centripetal force is the force that pulls or pushes an object towards the center of a circle, allowing it to continuously move in a circular path. In this case, when a father swings his child around in a circle, he is holding onto the child through a rope or another means of connection. The tension force in the rope is directed towards the center of the circular path, and it is this tension force that acts as the centripetal force, keeping the child moving in a circle.
Friction, weight, and gravity can affect the motion of the child but are not the sources of the centripetal force in this scenario. Friction could act between the child's feet and the ground, creating a torque that may change the direction of the motion. Weight and gravity are essentially the same force and are responsible for pulling the child downward, but they do not play a direct role in maintaining the circular motion.