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Q. Centripetal acceleration is

Motion in a Plane

Solution:

Centripetal acceleration, $a_c=\frac{v^2}{R}$ where $v$ is the speed of an object and $R$ is the radius of the circle. It is always directed towards the centre of the circle. Since $v$ and $R$ are constants for a given uniform circular motion, therefore the magnitude of centripetal acceleration is also constant. However, the direction of centripetal acceleration changes continuously. Therefore, a centripetal acceleration is not a constant vector.