An object moving in a circle at constant speed is continuously changing direction, which means it is accelerating. The force causing this acceleration is called the centripetal force, and it always acts toward the centre of the circle.
Centripetal force is not a new type of force. It is provided by an existing force, such as gravity (for orbiting planets), tension (for a ball on a string), or friction (for a car turning a corner).
If the centripetal force stops, the object moves in a straight line tangent to the circle.
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