Question

A body is moving in a circle with constant speed. Which of the following statements is true?

Options

A
There is a force acting on the body at a tangent to the circle
B
There is a force acting on the body toward the center of the circle
C
There is no acceleration in the body
D
There is a force acting on the body away from the center of the circle
E
The net force acting on the body is zero

Explanation

When a body is moving in a circle a centripital force acts on it and although its speed remains constant it has a centripital acceleration as well.

There is a force acting on the body at a tangent to the circle: This is incorrect. The force responsible for circular motion is directed toward the center of the circle (centripetal force), not tangentially.

There is a force acting on the body toward the center of the circle: This is correct. For an object moving in a circle with constant speed, the force acting on the body is the centripetal force, which is always directed toward the center of the circle.

There is no acceleration in the body: This is incorrect. Even though the speed is constant, the direction of the velocity is continuously changing as the object moves in a circle, which means there is centripetal acceleration.

There is a force acting on the body away from the center of the circle: This is incorrect. The force is directed toward the center, not away from it.

The net force acting on the body is zero: This is incorrect. There is a net force (centripetal force) acting on the body toward the center of the circle, which causes the acceleration necessary for circular motion.