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Difficulty: EasyCircular Motion and Centripetal Force

When a solid object is swung in a circular path on a tether and the tether suddenly snaps, the object will immediately fly directly outward, straight away from the center of the circle.

Answer: Answer

Answer

False
The statement is false because an object released from circular motion will follow a straight trajectory tangent to the circle, dictated by its instantaneous velocity, rather than flying radially outward.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the forces acting on the object before the tether breaks.
The tether provides a continuous inward force (centripetal force) that constantly changes the object's direction, keeping it in a circular path.
Circular motion requires a net inward force directed toward the center of rotation.
2
Analyze the state of the system at the exact moment the tether snaps.
The physical connection is broken, causing the inward centripetal force to instantly drop to zero.
The tether is the only source of the inward force in this scenario.
3
Apply Newton's First Law of Motion (inertia) to determine the object's resulting path.
The object will travel in a straight line at a constant speed in the exact direction it was moving when the tether broke.
Without a net force acting upon it, an object in motion stays in motion in a straight line, which is mathematically tangent to the edge of the circle.

Key Concept

Inertia and Tangential Velocity in Circular Motion
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Topics

Circular Motion and Centripetal Force

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