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The diagram shows a girl swinging a rubber ball in a horizontal circle above her head - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 5 - 2014 - Paper 1
Question 5
The diagram shows a girl swinging a rubber ball in a horizontal circle above her head. (i) In which direction does the resultant force act on the ball? Put a cross ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:The diagram shows a girl swinging a rubber ball in a horizontal circle above her head - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 5 - 2014 - Paper 1
Step 1
In which direction does the resultant force act on the ball?
Answer
The resultant force acting on the ball is directed towards the centre of the circle. This is because in circular motion, the centripetal force is required to keep the ball moving in a circular path, which always points inward.
Step 2
Step 3
Suggest what would happen to the ball as the girl gets tired.
Answer
As the girl gets tired, she may start to lose the strength to swing the ball at a constant speed. Consequently, the tension in the string will decrease, causing the ball to lose centripetal force. This would result in the ball moving outward and eventually leading it to fly away in a tangential direction when the force acting on it is no longer sufficient to maintain circular motion.