Tape a string half a meter or so in length securely to a small rubber ball. Practice whirling the ball in both horizontal and vertical circles and make these observations:
a. For horizontal motion of the ball, how does the angle that the string makes with the horizontal vary with the speed of the ball?
b. If you let go of the string at a certain point in the circle, what path does the ball follow after release?
c. Can you feel differences in tension in the string for different speeds of the ball? How does the tension vary with speed?
d. For a vertical circle, how does the tension in the string vary for different points in the circle? Is it greater at the bottom than at the top when the ball moves with constant speed?