circular motion

[tolga]

an athlete is swinging a hammer around a horizontal circle when suddenly the wire breaks off, describe the motion of the ball?
Theanswer says parabolic in a vertical plane tangential to the circle
 
i dont understand what vertical plane and tangential to the circle are.

[appianway]

Vertical plane means on a vertical axis. Imagine an x-y graph xith y being up and down, and x being the horizontal displacement.

As for tangential, this means at a tangent to the circle - perhaps google what a tangent is.

[tolga]

i know the diagram for tangential to the circle but it doesn't go in a circle after it breaks off

[appianway]

That's exactly what it does. It continues in a straight line at a tangent to the point where it breaks off.

[tolga]

how does it continue in a straight line doesn't it move in a parabolic motion or r u saying that before it breaks of it continues in a straight line tangential to the circle then rises, so this is before the parabolic movement.

[appianway]

The parabolic movement refers to the shape that occurs as the sum of the vertical and horizontal velocities. Viewed from above, it goes in a straight line, as the horizontal velocity is constant (no force acts on it in this direction). However, the hammer accelerates DOWNWARD, and thus the vertical velocity changes.