Questions
SPH4U - Physics 12 (2025-26) - A
Multiple fill-in-the-blank
Question textThe students below describe the motion of an object moving in a horizontal circle at constant speed, such as a stopper swung on a string or a car turning in a roundabout. Match each student's reasoning to the explanation that best reflects their thinking. Student 1:"Even though the object’s speed doesn’t change, I think it’s accelerating because its direction keeps changing while moving around the circle."Answer 1 Question 46[select: , Acceleration happens only if both the direction and the speed change at the same time, which is not the case here., Acceleration occurs because the direction of velocity changes, even when speed is constant. This is called centripetal acceleration and it always points toward the center of the circle., There is no acceleration since the speed is constant; acceleration only applies when speed increases or decreases.] Student 2:"I believe that there must be a force pulling the object inward, or else it would move off the circular path."Answer 2 Question 46[select: , The object stays in circular motion because it wants to go in a circle, not because of a force., The force is outward from the circle because that's the direction the object appears to pull on the string., A net inward (centripetal) force is required to keep the object moving in a circle; without it, the object would move in a straight line.] Student 3:"If the string holding the object breaks, I think the object would continue along the curve briefly and then slow down."Answer 3 Question 46[select: , Once the string breaks, the object moves in a straight line tangent to the circle due to inertia, unless another force acts on it., The object stops instantly because it no longer has a force acting on it to keep moving., The object keeps curving until it comes to a stop because it lost the force that maintained its motion.]

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Step-by-Step Analysis
The question presents three student statements about circular motion and asks you to match each to the correct physics explanation. I’ll evaluate each student’s reasoning and compare it to the fundamental concepts of circular motion.
Student 1:
- Correct answer (explanation): Acceleration occurs because the direction of velocity changes, even when speed is constant. This is centripetal acceleration, which points toward the center of the circle. In circular motion at constant speed, the velocity vector is continuously redirected; acceleration is still present due to this change in direction.
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