Home › AP Physics 1 › Physics › Uniform Circular Motion and Gravitation › Both linear velocity and angular velocity are ve…
Both linear velocity and angular velocity are vector-like quantities with a direction. Which statement correctly compares their possible directions?
AAngular velocity can point in any of infinitely many directions, but linear velocity is always clockwise
BAngular velocity is only clockwise or counterclockwise, while linear velocity is tangent to the circular path
CBoth quantities are restricted to clockwise or counterclockwise directions only
DLinear velocity always points toward the center, while angular velocity is tangent to the path
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. Angular velocity is only clockwise or counterclockwise, while linear velocity is tangent to the circular path
1. Angular velocity is described relative to the axis of rotation, so it has only two possible senses, clockwise or counterclockwise.
2. Linear velocity, in contrast, is tangent to the circular path at each instant, so its direction continuously changes as the object moves around the circle.
3. Linear velocity is not restricted to clockwise or counterclockwise labels, and it never points toward the center, since a velocity toward the center would describe radial motion rather than motion along the circle.
4. Only the option pairing a two-way angular direction with a tangent linear direction matches how each quantity actually behaves.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 6 "Uniform Circular Motion and Gravitation", section 6.1 Rotation Angle and Angular Velocity_
Related questions
The Moon stays in orbit around the Earth. Which force provides its centripetal force?Why does a centripetal force change a body's direction but never its speed?A stone is whirled on a string in a horizontal circle. What supplies the centripetal forceUnder what condition does an ellipse become a circle?Kepler's third law relates the squares of the periods to which quantity?What does the line from the Sun to a planet sweep out in equal times?What shape does each planet's orbit about the Sun take, and where does the Sun sit?Besides muscle wasting, what else do astronauts lose in microgravity?