Question

A disk is spinning about its center with a constant angular speed at first. Let the turntable spin faster and faster, with constant angular acceleration ?. Which sketch qualitatively shows the direction of the acceleration vector a of the bug?

Answer 1

4 (please see the attached file)

Step-by-step explanation:

While the angular speed (counterclockwise) remained constant, the angular acceleration was just zero.

So, the only force acting on the bug (parallel to the surface) was the centripetal force, producing a centripetal acceleration directed towards the center of the disk.

When the turntable started to spin faster and faster, this caused a change in the angular speed, represented by the appearance of an angular acceleration α.

This acceleration is related with the tangential acceleration, by this expression:

at = α*r

This acceleration, tangent to the disk (aiming in the same direction of the movement, which is counterclockwise, as showed in the pictures) adds vectorially with the centripetal force, giving a resultant like the one showed in the sketch Nº 4.