The discussion revolves around the concepts of radial/transverse and normal/tangential components of motion, specifically in the context of a car's movement along a path that may or may not be circular. Participants are examining the implications of the car's speed being described in different directional terms.
The discussion is ongoing, with participants providing insights into the relationship between circular motion and the definitions of speed components. Some guidance has been offered regarding the assumptions that can be made about the path based on the information given, but no consensus has been reached.
There is uncertainty regarding the circularity of the path depicted in the problem, which affects how participants interpret the motion and the associated speed components. The original poster's confusion stems from the lack of clarity in the problem statement about the nature of the path.
Dick said:If it's initially moving in a circular path the transverse and the tangential direction are the same.
theBEAST said:Oh I see... I am just confused because looking at the path, it does not look circular. Let's say the question did not tell us that the car moves on a "horizontal circular path", instead it just says the car is moving on a "path as shown on the diagram". Then can you assume by looking at this picture it is circular? Could we still do the question?