centripetal acceleration, the acceleration of a body traversing a circular path. Because velocity is a vector quantity (that is, it has both a magnitude, the speed, and a direction), when a body travels on a circular path, its direction constantly changes and thus its velocity changes, producing an acceleration.
Why accelerated is called circular motion?
In a circular motion, there is a continuous change in the direction of motion. The velocity changes when the direction changes. Therefore, circular motion is an accelerated motion.
Why do we call the acceleration of an object in circular motion moving in a circle centripetal acceleration?
We call the acceleration of an object moving in uniform circular motion (resulting from a net external force) the centripetal acceleration(ac); centripetal means “toward the center” or “center seeking.” ... Because ac = Δv/Δt, the acceleration is also toward the center; ac is called centripetal acceleration.
