Circle With Gap

This demonstration highlights the concept of inertia and uniform circular motion. A small ball is moved along a circular track. However, the track has a gap, and when the object reaches the gap, it continues in a straight line tangent to the circular path. This happens because, in the absence of an external force, the object’s inertia causes it to move in a straight line at constant velocity, according to Newton’s first law of motion. The demonstration emphasizes that an object in circular motion requires a continuous inward (centripetal) force to stay on its path. Once that force is removed, the object no longer moves in a circle and instead follows a straight path. This helps students visualize and understand the relationship between circular motion and inertia, showing that without a centripetal force, an object will maintain its velocity in a straight line.