Which of the following has no acceleration?

A. a satellite orbiting at a constant speed

B. a person running once around a track at a constant speed

C. a car making a turn at a constant speed

D. a person running 100 m straight across a field at a constant speed

Question

Which of the following has no acceleration?

A. a satellite orbiting at a constant speed 

B. a person running once around a track at a constant speed 

C. a car making a turn at a constant speed 

D. a person running 100 m straight across a field at a constant speed

jfraser · Answer

in three of those four options, the object is moving in some kind of circular path....

anonymous · Answer

Right, and if it's in a circular path, what does that mean about an acceleration?

anonymous · Answer

By Newton's First Law, without any external force an object moves in a straight line. Consequently, a circular path will always require a force -- namely the centripetal force. This acceleration is called the centripetal acceleration.

anonymous · Answer

The correct answer is D.