Which of the following is true about centripetal acceleration?

Centripetal acceleration is defined as the acceleration that acts on an object moving in a circular path, directed towards the center of that circular path. This inward acceleration is necessary for changing the direction of the velocity of the object, allowing it to maintain circular motion.

In the context of an object moving with uniform circular motion, even if the speed remains constant, the direction of the velocity changes continuously; thus, there is always an acceleration directed towards the center. This is crucial in maintaining the curved trajectory, as without this centripetal acceleration, the object would move in a straight line rather than following the circular path.

The other options are inconsistent with this understanding of centripetal acceleration. For example, centripetal acceleration does not act away from the center; this would not support circular motion. Also, while the speed of the object can influence the magnitude of centripetal acceleration, it is not constant regardless of speed since centripetal acceleration is given by the formula ( a_c = \frac{v^2}{r} ), where ( v ) is the velocity and ( r ) is the radius of the circular path. Lastly, the mass of the object does not affect centripetal acceleration directly; rather,