Centripetal acceleration is the acceleration that an object experiences when it moves in a circular motion. It always points towards the center of the circular path and is perpendicular to the object's velocity.
The formula for centripetal acceleration is a = v²/r, where a is the acceleration, v is the velocity, and r is the radius of the circular path.
Centripetal acceleration is the acceleration towards the center of the circular path, while tangential acceleration is the acceleration along the tangent of the circular path. They are perpendicular to each other and together make up the total acceleration of an object in circular motion.
Centripetal acceleration is directly proportional to the centripetal force acting on an object. This means that as the force increases, so does the acceleration, and vice versa.
Some examples of centripetal acceleration in everyday life include riding a carousel, driving around a curve in a car, or swinging a ball on a string. It is also important in the orbits of planets around the sun and satellites around the earth.