Question

a hockey puck, tied to a string, moves in a circle as shown. the string breaks, no longer exerting a force on the puck. on what path will the puck move? path a path d path b path c

Explanation:

When the string breaks, according to Newton's first law of motion (an object in motion will continue in motion with a constant velocity in a straight - line path unless acted upon by an external force), the puck will move in a straight - line path. At the instant the string breaks, the direction of the puck's velocity is tangent to the circular path. Path C is the tangent to the circular path at the point where the string breaks.

Answer:

Path C