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A car moving at a constant speed changes direction. Is the car accelerating? How do you know?

2 Answers

10 votes
Acceleration is found by change in velocity over change in time. Since velocity is a vector (not scalar) quantity, it has both a magnitude AND a direction. Since the direction the car is travelling in is constantly changing around the bend (it's not travelling in a straight line), the velocity is technically changing
User Semir
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i dont think this really answers your question but i hope it helps!

Acceleration is found by change in velocity over change in time. Since velocity is a vector (not scalar) quantity, it has both a magnitude AND a direction. Since the direction the car is travelling in is constantly changing around the bend (it's not travelling in a straight line), the velocity is technically changing.

User David Valenza
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3.8k points