Physics 2003 JAMB Past Questions - Question 10: A piece of stone attached to one end of a string is whirled round in a horizontal circle and the string suddenly cuts. The stone will fly off in a direction

Correct Answer

C

Explanation

When a piece of stone attached to one end of a string is whirled around in a horizontal circle and the string is suddenly cut, the stone will continue to move in a straight line tangent to the point on the circle where it was cut. This is governed by Newton's first law of motion, which states that an object in motion will remain in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an external force.

So, when the string is cut, there is no longer a centripetal force acting to keep the stone in a circular path, and the stone will move in a straight line from the point where it was cut, tangentially to the circle's edge. The stone will fly off in the direction perpendicular to the string at the moment of the cut, and its velocity will be determined by the speed at which it was moving when the string was cut.