74) This problem is a continuation of Question 73. In this question, we simply need to determine the direction of the ball's motion subsequent to breaking off the string at point 2.
In order to determine the motion, we need to know the direction of the velocity just after the string breaks. Additionally, we need to determine the direction of the acceleration because if they don't point along the same direction, the ball's path may curve.
Because the string is broken, there is no longer a tension force providing the centripetal acceleration. This means the only force acting on the ball is gravity. The ball is accelerating downward.
When the string breaks, the ball will continue with its tangential velocity. This means the ball will have a velocity tangent to the circular path at point 2.
Since the velocity and acceleration act in the same direction, the ball will travel in that direction as it speeds up.
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