Let's take a look once more at the

Let's take a look once more at the force that makes the penny move in a circular path. That force was supplied by the tip of the hanger, which is pushing up in this case and towards my finger, the center of the path. As the hanger moves the tip of the hanger is no longer pointed up, but pointed toward the center of the path, my finger. So that force always points toward the center of the path, and that is the force that keeps the penny moving in a circular motion