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What is the object doing?

1) Moving in a circular path
2) Moving in a zigzag path
3) Moving in a straight-line path at constant speed
4) Moving in a random path

User Sam Murphy
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1 Answer

3 votes

Final answer:

The object could be engaging in a variety of motions including circular, zigzag, straight-line at constant speed, or random path. Circular motion specifically refers to movement along the circumference of a circle, as seen with a car rounding a bend, and requires centripetal acceleration even at constant speed.

Step-by-step explanation:

The object in question could be performing one of several types of motions, which include but are not limited to: moving in a circular path, moving in a zigzag path, moving in a straight-line path at constant speed, or moving in a random path. Specifically, if an object is in circular motion, it would be following a path along the circumference of a circle. An example of circular motion is a car rounding a bend at a constant speed.

Alternatively, if it's performing uniform circular motion, the object would move at a constant speed along a circular path, although its velocity is changing due to the continuous change in direction which requires centripetal acceleration. This is not to be mistaken with linear motion at constant velocity, where the speed and direction remain unchanged, or simple harmonic motion, such as a pendulum swinging back and forth.