Question

What type of motion is shown by:
A point marked on the blade of a running ceiling fan?

Answer 1

Hint: To answer this question, we need to understand the concepts of circular motion. We need to know what uniform and non-uniform circular motions are. This question involves the idea of uniform circular motion, which means motion of a body in a circular path with constant speed.

Complete step by step answer:
A circular motion is described as a body movement that follows a circular direction. Uniform Circular Motion is the motion of a body travelling at a constant speed along a circular direction. The speed remains constant, but the velocity varies.
If a particle is travelling in a circle, it may be experiencing some acceleration towards the center, causing it to rotate around the center. Since this acceleration is perpendicular to a particle's velocity at all times, it just changes the direction of velocity, not the amplitude, which is why the motion is uniform circular.
So, we can conclude that motion shown by a point marked on the blade of a ceiling fan is uniform circular motion.

Note: In the case of non-uniform circular motion, the particle's speed increases or decreases due to tangential acceleration. The vector sum of radial and tangential acceleration is the resulting acceleration. Radius of the motion can also change during a non-uniform circular motion.