A weight is swung on the end of a string in a horizontal plane, with a certain period of revolution. If the string is shortened to half its length, and the revolution period is kept the same, the centripetal acceleration of the weight is halved.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The centripetal acceleration is given by a = v^2/r. If the period of revolution is kept the same, then the speed of the weight is also the same. If the string is shortened to half its length, then the radius of the circle is also halved. Therefore, the centripetal acceleration is doubled.

A Weight Is Swung on the End of a String