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Why does a car accelerate if you turn the steering wheel?

User Mukesh M
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2 Answers

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Final answer:

Turning the steering wheel of a car causes the car to accelerate because it changes the direction of the car's velocity.

Step-by-step explanation:

Turning the steering wheel of a car causes the car to accelerate because it changes the direction of the car's velocity. Acceleration is defined as a change in velocity, and since velocity is a vector quantity with both magnitude and direction, changing the direction alone constitutes acceleration. When you turn the steering wheel, you are changing the direction of the car's velocity, which means the car is accelerating.

User Optilude
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car accelerates whenever its velocity is changed by either changing the speed or the direction of the car's motion. So, even if you are driving your car at a constant speed while turning around a corner, you are still accelerating.
User Jddxf
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