A boy is whirling a stone tied with a string in an horizontal circular path. Ifthe string breaks, 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 awayfrom the boy
Question
A boy is whirling a stone tied with a string in an horizontal circular path. Ifthe string breaks, 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 awayfrom the boy
Solution
The correct answer is (c) the stone will move along a straight line tangential to the circular path.
Here's why:
When the boy is whirling the stone, there are two forces acting on it. One is the tension in the string, which is providing the centripetal force necessary for the stone to move in a circular path. The other is the stone's inertia, which is its tendency to move in a straight line.
When the string breaks, the tension providing the centripetal force disappears. However, the stone's inertia remains. Therefore, the stone will continue to move in the direction it was going at the moment the string broke.
This direction is always a line tangent to the point on the circular path where the stone was when the string broke. Hence, the stone will move along a straight line tangential to the circular path.
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