Question

A golfer starts with the club over her head and swings it to reach maximum speed as it contacts the ball. Halfway through her swing, when the golf club is parallel to the ground, does the acceleration vector of the club head point (a) straight down, (b) parallel to the ground, approximately toward the golfer’s shoulders, (c) approximately toward the golfer’s feet, or (d) toward a point above the golfer’s head? Explain.

Short answer

The acceleration vector of the club head point approximately toward the golfer's feet.

Step-by-step solution

Given information

A golfer begins with the club over her head and swings it at full speed as it makes contact with the ball. When the golf club is parallel to the ground halfway through her swing.

Explanation

The golf club head will have two components of acceleration because it is moving in a non-uniform circular motion. One towards the circle's centre (centripetal acceleration). One tangential to the circle from the golf club head's location (tangential acceleration). Because the centripetal acceleration is pointing towards the guy and the tangential acceleration is pointing downwards (the golf club is speeding up), the resultant of both vectors will point towards the person's feet.