Forces and Motion Concepts

A car travels around a circular roundabout at a constant speed. Is the car accelerating?

• No, because its speed is constant.

• Yes, because its direction is constantly changing.

• No, because there is no net force acting on it.

• Yes, because its speed is increasing.

What is the direction of a car's instantaneous acceleration when it turns at a roundabout?

• North

• East

• South

• Towards the center of the roundabout

When a car travels at a constant speed in a straight line, what can be said about the net force in the vertical and forward directions?

• There is a net force in the vertical direction, but not in the forward direction.

• There is a net force in the forward direction, but not in the vertical direction.

• There is a net force in both the vertical and forward directions.

• There is no net force in either the vertical or forward direction.

What is a centripetal force?

• A force that pushes an object away from the center of a circular path.

• A net external force perpendicular to an object's velocity that makes it travel in a curved path.

• A force that causes an object to slow down when moving in a circle.

• A force that is always parallel to an object's velocity.