The centripetal acceleration of the ball is (A) zero (B)...

The centripetal acceleration of the ball is
(A) zero
(B) constant in direction, but changing in magnitude
(C) constant in magnitude, but changing in direction
(D) changing in both magnitude and direction

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Key Concepts

Vector Nature of Acceleration

Acceleration is a vector quantity, which means it has both magnitude and direction. In circular motion, even though the speed (and consequently the magnitude of the centripetal acceleration) might remain constant, the direction of the acceleration continually changes as the object moves along the circle.

Centripetal Acceleration

This is the acceleration that always points towards the center of a circular path, responsible for changing the direction of an object's velocity while it moves along a curved trajectory. Its magnitude is determined by the square of the speed divided by the radius of the circle.

Uniform Circular Motion

Uniform circular motion refers to motion along a circular path at a constant speed. Although the speed does not change, the continuous change in the direction of the velocity vector results in a constant magnitude of centripetal acceleration whose direction is always inward toward the center of the circle.

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