Here's why:
* Centripetal force is the force that acts towards the center of a circle, keeping an object moving in a circular path.
* This force is constantly changing the direction of the object's velocity, but not its speed.
* When the centripetal force is removed, there's no longer a force to change the object's direction.
* The object will then continue moving in the direction it was going at the instant the force was removed, which is tangential to the circle.
Think of it like this: Imagine you're swinging a ball on a string. The tension in the string provides the centripetal force. If you let go of the string, the ball will fly off in a straight line, tangent to the circle it was moving in.
