Question

Draw the velocity vector of a body in uniform circular motion.

Answer 1

Hint: Since velocity is a vector, it depends on direction as well as magnitude. So, in circular motion the velocity of the object will change at every point in a direction which is perpendicular to the radius vector as shown below in the diagram.

Complete step by step solution:
Uniform circular motion is a motion in which any object moves with a constant speed. When a body moves in a uniform circular motion, it moves with a constant speed but, at every point its direction changes due to the tangential force. So, the velocity of the body, which is a vector, depends on both magnitude of the speed as well as the direction of motion. The velocity vector is perpendicular to the radius vector in a circular motion. The acceleration that changes only the direction of velocity of the body is called centripetal acceleration.


So, at every point it forms a tangent to circle as shown in the figure above. Therefore, when an object is traversing in a uniform circular motion, the velocity vector forms a tangent to the circle and the direction of velocity changes even though the object is moving with a constant speed.

Note: The accelerating object is undergoing uniform circulation motion and it is mainly due to its change in the direction and is moving to the tangent of the circle. According to Newton’s second law, the direction is always inward and net force is always directed towards the centre of the circle as the acceleration is also in the same direction.