Question

A boy is whirling a stone tied with a string in a horizontal circular path. If the string breaks, then the stone ___.

• A. will continue to move in the circular path
• B. will move along a straight line towards the centre of the circular path
• C. will move along a straight line tangential to the circular path
• D. will move along a straight line perpendicular to the circular path away from the boy

Answer 1

The correct option is C will move along a straight line tangential to the circular path

When the stone was moving in a circle, a centripetal force was acting on it which was provided by tension in the string to which it was attached. When the string breaks, external force stops acting on the stone. So, when the string breaks, the stone continues to move along a straight line in the tangential direction in accordance with the Newton's first law of motion.