If a stone tied to a string is whirled in a horizontal circle and the string breaks suddenly, which

Question

If a stone tied to a string is whirled in a horizontal circle and the string breaks suddenly, which of the following correctly describes the trajectory of the stone?

Professor PC Thomas Classes · Answer

By Newton's first law of motion, once the centripetal force (tension) vanishes, the stone will continue its motion in a straight line along the direction of its velocity at that instant, which is tangential to the circle.