A model aeroplane is tethered to a post and held by a fine line. It flies in a horizontal circle. Then the line breaks. What direction will it fly in?

a)
In a circular path, as before

b)
Directly to the centre of the circle

c)
In a straight line at a tangent

d)
Directly away from the centre of the circle

Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer?

Question

A model aeroplane is tethered to a post and held by a fine line. It flies in a horizontal circle. Then the line breaks. What direction will it fly in?

a)
In a circular path, as before
b)
Directly to the centre of the circle
c)
In a straight line at a tangent
d)
Directly away from the centre of the circle

Correct answer is option 'C'. Can you explain this answer?

Answer

It is because at every point of circle an object has two acceleration (Tangential & Angular acceleration).At every point a body experience a tangential force which is perpendicular to the radius of the circle, when the string breaks the centripetal force disappear ( the radially inward force which holds a body in a circular motion) Hence the only Tangential force act on the body & it goes in that way.

Answer

It is bcoz at every point of circle an object has 2 acceleration (Tangential & Angular acceleration) At every point a body experience a tangential force which is perpendicular to the radius of the circle when the string breaks the centripetal force disappear ( the radially inward force which holds a body in a circular motion) Hence the only Tangential force act on the body & it goes in that way

Answer

OPTION - C Any body possessing a circular motion has two accelerations ( Tangential and centripetal ) . Here the tension in thread gives centripetal acceleration and if it breaks then due to tangential acceleration it will fly off tangentially .

Answer

Explanation:

When the line breaks, the model airplane will continue to move in a straight line at a tangent to the circle. This is because of the principle of inertia.

Inertia:
Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion. In this case, the model airplane is already moving in a circular path due to the tension in the line. When the line breaks, there is no longer any force acting on the airplane to keep it in that circular path. Instead, the airplane will continue moving in a straight line due to its inertia.

Centripetal Force:
When the model airplane is tethered to the post, it experiences a centripetal force that keeps it moving in a circular path. The tension in the line provides this centripetal force, continuously pulling the airplane towards the center of the circle.

Breaking of the Line:
When the line breaks, there is no longer any force pulling the airplane towards the center of the circle. The airplane will no longer experience any centripetal force, and therefore, it will no longer move in a circular path.

Straight Line at a Tangent:
Instead, the airplane will continue moving in a straight line tangent to the circle at the point where the line broke. This is because of its inertia. The airplane will maintain its velocity and direction of motion unless acted upon by an external force. In this case, without the tension in the line, there is no force to change the airplane's velocity or direction.

Conclusion:
Therefore, when the line breaks, the model airplane will continue moving in a straight line at a tangent to the circle it was previously moving in.

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