Circular Motion and Newton's First Law
Circular Motion and Newton's First Law
A boy ties a stone to a string and swings it around his head in a horizontal circle. He lets go of the string when the stone is at the "release point."
Where does the stone go after release?
—Does it continue its circular motion (A or B)?—Or, does it go along C, a straight line tangent to the circle?—Or, does the stone fly away along D or E?
Click the "play" arrow at top to find out. Click the "replay" arrow to see slow motion. The right panel shows a close-up of the curved path as the object approaches the release point. Notice how the curve gradually becomes straighter, revealing how the stone makes the transition to path C.