---
title: "A uniform disk of radius \\(R\\) is mounted on a fixed axle through its center and is initially at rest. Beginning at time \\(t = 0\\), a constant net torque is applied to the disk, producing a constant angular acceleration \\(\\alpha\\). A point \\(P\\) is located on the outer rim of the disk. Which of the following best describes the shapes of the graphs of the tangential acceleration \\(a_t\\) and centripetal acceleration \\(a_c\\) of point \\(P\\) as functions of time \\(t\\)?"
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/124299/"
date_modified: "2026-09-28T14:04:41+00:00"
---

# A uniform disk of radius \(R\) is mounted on a fixed axle through its center and is initially at rest. Beginning at time \(t = 0\), a constant net torque is applied to the disk, producing a constant angular acceleration \(\alpha\). A point \(P\) is located on the outer rim of the disk. Which of the following best describes the shapes of the graphs of the tangential acceleration \(a_t\) and centripetal acceleration \(a_c\) of point \(P\) as functions of time \(t\)?

A uniform disk of radius \(R\) is mounted on a fixed axle through its center and is initially at rest. Beginning at time \(t = 0\), a constant net torque is applied to the disk, producing a constant angular acceleration \(\alpha\). A point \(P\) is located on the outer rim of the disk. Which of the following best describes the shapes of the graphs of the tangential acceleration \(a_t\) and centripetal acceleration \(a_c\) of point \(P\) as functions of time \(t\)?

![A circular disk is viewed from an oblique perspective as a flat ellipse with a horizontal major axis. A vertical dashed centerline representing an axle passes perpendicularly through the center of the disk, extending slightly above the top surface and below the bottom surface. Near the top of the vertical dashed line, a curved circular arrow curls counterclockwise around the axle and is labeled with the Greek letter \(\alpha\). A single solid dot labeled \(P\) is positioned on the outer perimeter of the disk at the right edge. A straight horizontal line segment extends from the geometric center of the ellipse to the dot at point \(P\) and is labeled \(R\). No other labels, lines, text, or axes appear.](https://nerd-notes.com/wp-content/uploads/ubq-frq-generated/stem-fig-1-1790604281-zVSnH9.jpg)

- **A.** The graph of \(a_t\) is a straight line with positive slope, and the graph of \(a_c\) is a parabola opening upward.
- **B.** The graph of \(a_t\) is a horizontal line, and the graph of \(a_c\) is a parabola opening upward.
- **C.** The graph of \(a_t\) is a horizontal line, and the graph of \(a_c\) is a curve proportional to \(t^4\).
- **D.** The graph of \(a_t\) is a straight line with positive slope, and the graph of \(a_c\) is a straight line with positive slope.

*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/124299/*