BRAINCAKECentripetal Acceleration
The velocity of an object moving at constant speed in a circle changes continuously because its direction changes. The object therefore accelerates. The velocity at any instant is along the tangent to the circle at that point. The change in direction of velocity Δv is towards the centre of the circle so its acceleration is towards the centre of the circle and is called its centripetal acceleration.
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All 9 lessons in Circular Motion · All OCR A-level Physics topics