Final answer:
Centripetal acceleration does not change the speed but rather the direction of velocity in circular motion. Tangential acceleration affects the speed of the object since it acts along the path's tangent.
Step-by-step explanation:
No, centripetal acceleration does not change the speed of a particle undergoing circular motion. Centripetal acceleration acts toward the center of the circle and only changes the direction of the velocity, not its magnitude. When an object is in uniform circular motion, it moves with a constant speed, and the velocity vector is constantly changing direction because of the centripetal acceleration.
While the object is accelerating, this acceleration is not changing the speed but rather the direction. On the other hand, tangential acceleration can change the speed of an object in a circular motion because it acts along the tangent to the path, thus affecting the magnitude of velocity.