* Acceleration is a change in velocity. Velocity is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude (speed) and direction.
* Even though the speed is constant, the direction of the object's velocity is constantly changing. As the object moves in a circle, its direction is constantly changing, even if the magnitude of its velocity (speed) remains the same.
Think of it this way:
* Imagine a car driving in a perfect circle at a constant speed. Even though the speedometer reading stays the same, the car is constantly changing direction. It's constantly turning to stay in the circular path.
* This change in direction means the car's velocity is changing, and therefore it is accelerating.
The acceleration in this case is called centripetal acceleration. It's directed towards the center of the circle and is what keeps the object moving in a circular path.
