What is Centrifugal: Definition and 342 Discussions

In Newtonian mechanics, the centrifugal force is an inertial force (also called a "fictitious" or "pseudo" force) that appears to act on all objects when viewed in a rotating frame of reference. It is directed away from an axis which is parallel to the axis of rotation and passing through the coordinate system's origin. If the axis of rotation passes through the coordinate system's origin, the centrifugal force is directed radially outwards from that axis. The magnitude of centrifugal force F on an object of mass m at the distance r from the origin of a frame of reference rotating with angular velocity ω is:

The concept of centrifugal force can be applied in rotating devices, such as centrifuges, centrifugal pumps, centrifugal governors, and centrifugal clutches, and in centrifugal railways, planetary orbits and banked curves, when they are analyzed in a rotating coordinate system.
Confusingly, the term has sometimes also been used for the reactive centrifugal force, a real inertial-frame-independent Newtonian force that exists as a reaction to a centripetal force.

View More On Wikipedia.org
Recent contents Top users
  1. physicsnewbie101

    Relation between centrifugal force and speed

    Does centrifugal force generate in increase in overall speed? For example, if I am driving down a highway on-ramp which goes in a circular fashion, with my speed slowly increasing, does my overall speed increase because of the centrifugal force generated from the circular on-ramp? Is more force...
  2. J

    B Centrifugal Force in Angular SHM: Explained

    Does centrifugal force (mv^2/r) act in any position of angular SHM? Please explain.
  3. bahtiyar

    Explanation: motorcycle leaning without centrifugal force?

    Hi the question is about bicycle and motorcycle dynamics How can we explain the motorcycle leaning in turn without using the centrifugal force term? You know the correct term for rotational motion is the centripetal force and it is toward the centre. I have a problem with rotational equilibrium...
  4. nashikin58

    Rotary or centrifugal jet spinning (nanofiber)

    Hi, I am a research student, working on rotary jet spinning. while spinning, nanofibers are formed but it's not attached properly to the collector. It became like a spider web. You guys have any idea why it became like that?
  5. A

    Calculating centrifugal forces

    hello everyone I have spinning droplet. I want to calculate the effect of centrifugal force on each cell of the droplet. If I use F= Mass * angular velocity square * radius That gave big number and it is like the whole droplet rotation around that radius. It's looks easy but I really stuck...
  6. T

    Does Centrifugal Force Cause Curvature Drift in Plasmas?

    Curvature drift in plasmas arise due to the centrifugal force that a particle sees when considering its guiding centre. Thus if one is following from the frame of the guiding centre, this drift will be observed. But for a stationary observer (let's say an experimentalist watching the plasma in a...
  7. Gotbread

    Using a centrifuge to extract heavy water (help with the calculations please)

    Hello everyone! I have seen several DIY projects which successfully gathered heavy water from normal water. For example Cody from codys lab used electrolysis to "enrich" the water. This however is a messy process. So i became curious, if this can be done easier by centrifugation. Based on...
  8. CorvetteAB

    Automotive Replacing a centrifugal clutch with an Electromagnetic clutch

    Hello friends, Anyone ever thought of, or tried, or has come across an automobile with an EM clutch, probably electronically controlled? We have a CVT driven 2 wheeler with a centrifugal clutch, but we need to disconnect power at will (electronically), so an EM clutch was suggested. Anyone...
  9. H

    Random question regarding centrifugal force.

    Hello, I am somewhat new to this forum but have a basic question that I have had for a long time. please excuse it if it is a dumb question. I understand how centrifugal force works - you spin something around and it wants to fly away from the center. And I understand that there are...
  10. S

    Centrifugal force on water in a glass

    Homework Statement There is a cyllindrical glass (r=0.05 m) full of water. It is rotating around its vertical geometric axis with 3 turns per second. How many centimetres higher is water at the rim than in the centre of the glass . Water rotates together with the glass. Homework Equations...
  11. C

    Centrifugal compressor with relief valve formulas

    Hi folks, I have a question regarding centrifugal compressors when a relief valve is included in the system. Allow me to explain... There is a centrifugal compressor supplying air to an aircraft engine. As altitude varies, the compressor provides enough pressure up to altitude "X" for the...
  12. S

    Is centripetal force greater than centrifugal force?

    Why is resultant force directed towards the center of the circular path? Is it because centripetal force is greater than centrifugal force? If the centrifugal force is greater, then the ball will rise? (If the string doesn't snap)
  13. B

    Electrical Choosing a DC motor for a DIY Centrifugal Blower

    I burned out my scavenged motor today and now I think I want to apply a little more thought to moving the project forward. I'm working on a centrifugal blower that can suck air through a charcoal filter so I can keep the air clean around my soldering area. I chose a tuna can for the housing...
  14. D

    Centrifugal pump restricted output

    I am also constructing a small boat as a test bed for a much larger houseboat. If we forget about practicality issues... and accepting that my BS econ degree from the 60's isn't helping me much, I have a simple question with a difficult answer I guess. 2 stage centrifugal pump. (Standard...
  15. T

    Centrifugal force problem

    I want to understand the problem of centrifugal force with an aircraft in a turn. If I keep the wings level and input a certain amount of left rudder the aircraft skids and throws the turn coordinator ball to the right due to centrifugal force. The solution is to bank the wings until the ball...
  16. artriant

    How do fluids behave in a space centrifugal structure (artificial gravity)

    How fluids would act around the circumference of a space centrifugal, where the habitable zones are. Given that we have a radial gradient of Artificial Gravity , plus Coriolis, inertia, frictions etc. Id expect some change. Will add a list of questions but this more like an open discussion...
  17. Shafia Zahin

    Having problem with centripetal and centrifugal force

    Hi,I was reading about the centripetal and centrifugal forces then I felt a bit of contradiction in the explanations. It is said that the centripetal and centrifugal forces are the action-reaction pair of Newton's 3rd law and so they never act upon the same body.Centripetal force is acted upon...
  18. S

    Questions about understanding circular motion & the forces involved

    Hey, I'm having some difficulty in understanding circular motion and it's forces. Here is the situation I'm on: Imagine you are on a smooth turn-table with smooth shoes and the table starts spinning. Because of inertia, and because the frictional force is not nearly enough to keep you going in a...
  19. D

    Lagrangian of a centrifugal regulator

    Homework Statement Homework Equations L = T-V The Attempt at a Solution I got a forumla for the lagrangian as
  20. B

    Water pump (centrifugal) efficiency, does placement height mater?

    I am pumping water out of a pond that is being dug with a 30 h.p. centrifugal water pump. I am lifting the water about fifteen feet and discharging it at the same level as the pump. I feel lowering the pump near the water level and pushing the water up the fifteen feet would be more efficient...
  21. S

    Centrifugal force on Earth and deviation of free falling obj

    Centrifugal force due to rotation of the Earth has among its effects the deviation towards the equator of a ball falling from height ##h## vertically on Earth. I do not understand what is the inertial explanation of this phenomenon. Once the ball is released there is no centripetal force that...
  22. S

    Centrifugal term in mechanical energy in gravitation

    I'm studying effective potential in Newtonian gravitation. The mechanical energy of a body can be written $$E=\frac{1}{2}\mu {\dot{r}}^2+\frac{L^2}{2\mu r^2}-\gamma \frac{m M}{r^2} \tag{1}$$ Where \mu is the reduced mass of the system planet-star. Consider now the term...
  23. G

    Connetion between centrifugal force and weight force

    Can someone explain me what is the connetion between centrifugal force and weight force thanks ? In which situation should I use the centrifugal force (that is a fake force) ?
  24. F

    Can I add centrifugal acceleration?

    So the problem is asking me to derive the centrifugal and coriolis accelerations of the moon when it is furthest from the Sun and when it is orthogonal to the radius between Earth and the Sun. Given: Radius of Moon's Orbit around Earth Radius of Earth's Orbit around Sun Mass of Earth Mass...
  25. xpell

    Hypervelocity cannons: Why not centrifugal?

    After reading a lot about railguns, light gas guns and other approaches to build an hypervelocity/hypersonic cannon, I wonder why the "centrifugal cannon" option hasn't been more thoroughly explored by any military power in the world. Yes, I know the old versions had a precision problem and were...
  26. Yam

    Centrifugal Impeller and blade shapes

    According to my lecture notes, for centrifugal impellers Backward curved blades have a outlet blade angle of less than 90, radial blades have curved blades have a outlet blade angle of 90, Forward curved blades have a outlet blade angle of more than 90. As such i have 2 questions 1) does the...
  27. mgkii

    Exploring Feynman's Tidal Forces: A Deeper Look

    I used to think I understood this - big mistake! I've just watched a great classic Feynman lecture posted by another PF user (a superb way to spend 50 mins of you can spare the time) https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/i-found-the-best-teacher-of-physics.855335/ In that lecture, Feynman...
  28. R

    Centrifugal Compressor Performance Curve

    Hi I have uploaded centrifugal compressor performance curve. I want to know how Mass Flow vs Pressure Ratio curve plotted under different efficiency since efficiency is a constant for a compressor. Please help.
  29. B

    Centrifugal acceleration in rotating frame

    Homework Statement I have a doubt about the way to calculate the centrifugal acceleration for a point P that rotates with angular velocity ##w_1## wtr a inertial frame on a platform that rotates with angular velocity ##w## (##w_1>w)##. I want to find the centrifugal acceleration in the...
  30. C

    Centrifugal force and elastic deformation

    Homework Statement Consider a spring of natural length L_0 with constant k which rests on a horizontal frictionless surface. The spring is attached at one end to a fixed post and at the other end to a mass m. Suppose the spring is rotating around the post in a circle with angular velocity w...
  31. Rx7man

    Centrifugal compressors, adiabatic compression

    Homework Statement I am working on creating a spreadsheet where you can input the parameters of an engine at a given rotational speed such as volumetric efficiency, boost pressure, atmospheric pressure and temperature, and compressor efficiency... It's been a very long time since I've done...
  32. mgkii

    B Maximum Radius for Wall of Death

    Hi - Can anyone help me out with a question. The answer seems obvious, but maybe so obvious that I'm jumping to wrong conclusions! Just been reading Guy Martin's book "When your dead, your dead" (good read by the way) and one of his stories is about breaking the world speed record for a wall of...
  33. P

    Tension, centrifugal force, two objects rotating

    Homework Statement [/B]there's an image of the situationHomework Equations [/B]F= mω^2 RThe Attempt at a Solution [/B]so, in the image there are two spheres that exerts a tension on the string using their centrifugal, since the centrifugal bodies are two I expect that the tension is the sum...
  34. O

    Blowing up a balloon using centrifugal force

    Hey guys, So I had what I thought was a cool simple idea to show the effects of the apparent centrifical force. I glued the mouth of a balloon onto the end of a 1.5m length of a 10mm flexible tube. The idea in my head was that by spinning it around the inertial forces would result in effective...
  35. ajayguhan

    Is sum centrifugal force and centripetal force zero?

    While balancing rotating mass we consider the inertia force (centrifugal force) is equal and opposite to centripetal force which causes the rotation. if both force(applied external force on rotating mass) which causes the motion and force which resist motion (inertia force) are equal and...
  36. AHashemi

    Direction of (Inertial) centrifugal force here?

    Homework Statement an object is sliding on an elliptical hill shown in picture. what is the direction of (inertial) centrifugal force at each moment? Homework Equations F=mv^2/r The Attempt at a Solution I think it should be towards the center of ellipse and value of r in the formula varies...
  37. peter010

    Centrifugal Pump curve Performance

    Dear, I have a confusion related to the attached image which represents the curve performance of centrifugal pumps. My point is, why is the consumed power, on the same pump curve, is increased as the flow increases?! since the logic for me is the opposite at which the consumed power should...
  38. F

    Centrifugal speed (MPH) converted to G's

    HI, let's save introductions till later, I'd like to get right to it. two questions: If a person weighs 100 lbs and is on a centrifuge spinning at 1,000 MPH, what is the G-force exerted by his body? If a person weighs 100 lbs and is on a centrifuge spinning at 500 MPH, what is the G-force...
  39. galadriel3562

    Centrifugal and centripetal forces on a half pipe

    Homework Statement The problem is as follows: A skater started at the top of a halfpipe that makes a 40 degree angle with the horizontal. He is now about halfway down the pipe and represented by the rectangle. His center of gravity is represented by Z, the midpoint of the circular movement...
  40. d w

    How much mass with the centrifugal forces of earth to break gravity?

    I'll start with this question, how much "mass" does something have to have before centrifugal force exceeds gravity on earth? I used basic physics of centrifugal force and gravity, used force vectors, and the math doesn't jive. This is what I mean. There are 2 forces on Earth that everything...
  41. R

    Wanting clarification on Centrifugal force

    I was wondering if someone could help dissect my understanding of Centrifugal force and explain any errors in my logic. So imagining that I am driving a car and making a right turn. I make the right turn and am forced into the side of the door. I feel a force acting on me but after I make my...
  42. A

    Centripetal/Centrifugal Motion on a merry-go-round

    Homework Statement You are standing 2.7 m from the centre of a spinning merry-go-round holding one end of a string tied to a 120g mass. The merry-go-round has a period of 3.9 s. Draw a system diagram of the situation. Draw an FBD of the mass in Earth's frame of reference. Draw an FBD of the...
  43. Dave Friesen

    Can a fan or prop handle high pressure and volume for a 12 inch plenum?

    I am trying to figure something out and having a lot of difficulty. I would sure appreciate some help. I have a situation where I will need either a fan or a prop. It will need to build up 10-20 lbs of pressure in a plenum but will also need to be able to provide a constant force a large amount...
  44. K

    Where Will the Candlelight Go?: Investigating Centrifugal Force

    Homework Statement Horizontal plate is rolling around its horizontal axis. On the plate few meters away from this axis there is a jar with a burning candle inside Homework Equations Where would go the candlelight/flame , i mean which side would it turn and why The Attempt at a Solution I...
  45. S

    Use centrifugal pump as air pump?

    I need to deliver air up to 5 meters high. I am thinking of using pump since I can find easily (no buying anything). Is it possible to deliver air using hydraulic centrifugal pump ?
  46. J

    Does centrifugal force affect weight at different latitudes on Earth?

    As a result of various searches on the Net, I have ended up here on this fantastic site. Specifically, it was an old 2008 thread in which was closed, so in order for me to expand on such discussion I've decided to make my own thread; by which I will go a slightly different direction with...
  47. W

    Understanding centrifugal force

    Dear Experts, I believe that we use the concept of Pseudo Forces, to analyze mechanics within an accelerating frame of reference. Pseudo force seems to be a 'correction' in acceleration provided to all the points that are not riveted to the accelerating frame of reference. And centrifugal force...
  48. D

    Centrifugal Force: Balancing a swing bucket rotor

    A lab mate and I got into a discussion on how to properly balance a swing bucket rotor. This is different than a normal centrifuge in that there are buckets that swing out once spinning begins. In a standard centrifuge balancing is simple - it's just the same weight directly opposite your...
  49. petermoose

    A Acceleration of Universe: centrifugal force?

    Is it 'possible' (that is, if you say not, can you conclusively show the negative), that the entire observed acceleration in the expansion Our Universe, created some 13.7 x 10^9 years ago in the Big Bang, is due solely to centripetal force throughout, caused by a complex...
  50. cyberdiver

    Using centrifugal force to support pressure vessels

    If the walls of a submarine were supported by fast-spinning rings, using centrifugal force to prevent collapse or buckling, would this be viable engineering? I am assuming that the rings would be magnetically suspended to eliminate friction. This also seems like a self-stabilizing system with...
Back
Top