The conversation between human and AI assistant.
Why is kinetic energy zero in uniform circular motion?
I was wondering if you could explain to me why kinetic energy is zero in uniform circular motion?
Sure, I'd be happy to explain that. In uniform circular motion, the speed of the object remains constant, but the direction of the velocity vector changes continuously, causing its acceleration to remain constant and directed towards the center of the circle. As a result, the net force acting on the object is always perpendicular to its velocity, and work done by this force is zero. Since kinetic energy is the energy an object possesses due to its motion, and no work is done on the object, the kinetic energy of an object in uniform circular motion is zero.