What must be true of a force that causes an object to move in a circular motion?

For circular motion, the force must continually change the direction of the object's velocity, so it acts perpendicular to the velocity. This centripetal force points toward the center of the circle; a force directed away from the center would not keep the object moving in a circular path. Therefore, the correct choice is “It acts perpendicular to the velocity and is directed toward the center of the circle.”

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