Whirl a rock at the end of a string and it follows a circular path. If the string breaks, the tendency of the rock is to
A)follow a circular path.
B)slow down.
C)follow a straight-line path.
D)stop.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When the string breaks, the rock will continue to move in a straight line at a tangent to the point of the circle where the string broke. This is because there is no force acting on the rock to keep it moving in a circular path. Therefore, the rock will not follow a circular path (A), slow down (B), or stop (D).

Whirl a Rock at the End of a String and It