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. M

    Characteristic Curve of a Centrifugal Pump

    Homework Statement The pump characteristic curve of a centrifugal pump can be plotted from the following details: (See attachment) The pump delivers 90 L/s when pumping against a static head of 12 m. Plot the pump characteristic curve from the details given and calculate: 1. The...
  2. Alpharup

    Argument on centrifugal force

    My grade 11 textbook never mentioned about inertial frame, non- inertial frame, rotating frame of reference and so son.The derivation of centripetal acceleration was very intuitive.This derivation was given after Laws of Inertia and other Newton's laws of motion.Ideas like cross product and dot...
  3. N

    Centrifugal and centripetal force

    There is a grass planted in a container which spins. Will the grass grow from the center of the container or will it bend towards the center. These are provided answers: This is a question in my book and there it is stated that it will bend towards the center(A answer) but it is not...
  4. D

    Centrifugal force as dot products

    The centrifugal force is $$ \Omega\times r\times \Omega $$ I paper I am reading then writes it as ##\frac{1}{2}(r\Omega)^2 - \frac{1}{2}\Omega^2r^2## How was this obtained? Using the fact that ##a\times b\times c = (ac)b - (ab)c##, I don't get what they are getting so there is...
  5. B

    How to calculate a centrifugal pump for a jet boat.

    I am building a jet boat as a project this year. I am going construct the impeller my self but don't know what dimensions I need to make it to get the most out of the engines without over loading them. Here's what I have to work with: The power source is going to be approximately 90 hp at...
  6. J

    Center of Gravity and Centrifugal Force

    Hi, I have this problem that I'm trying to solve and it has been a few years since I've taken Physics. I want to know how you would approach and solve this problem, and what equations you would use. Hopefully somebody here can help me out. The Problem: A vehicle is on a road that is V inches...
  7. T

    Understanding centrifugal pumps

    In this video, I would like to know why the operator of the centrifugal pump had to fill the pump with water first? Thanks!
  8. G

    Normal and centrifugal force for arbitrary curves

    Hi, i have a curve g:[0,t]->IR² with g(t)=(x(t),y(t)) in a homogenous gravitational field and i want to look at a ball rolling down this curve. therefore i want to derive some equations in order to calculate the normal force and the centripetal force at each point of this curve in order to see...
  9. H

    Does centrifugal force caused the tides?

    First time poster, thanks for help I wonder if low tide is caused by centrifugal force at noon time and high tide at midnight? The centrifugal force pushes sea water toward the center of the Earth at day time, away from it at night time. So, a man weights more at day time than night time. Am...
  10. E

    Gravity Variation Along a Rotating Space Station

    This may seem like a very simple question but given my lack of knowledge in the area, I'm stumped: If we have a rotating "space station" a la 2001: A Space Odyssey where the outer ring is at normal Earth gravity, what is the factor to determine how much gravity would be at various points...
  11. A.T.

    What exactly is the reactive centrifugal force (split)

    Mod note: This thread on the reactive centrifugal force was split from this thread on the (fictitious) centrifugal force. It is really not that confusing if you make clear which reference frame you consider.
  12. H

    What exactly is centrifugal force

    I think that there is no such thing as centrifugal force . Am I right ? is this force fictitious ?
  13. grav-universe

    Centrifugal Acceleration GR: Formula for .8c, 1m Radius

    I swing an accelerometer around my head with a constant relative speed of v and a radius of r. I want the exact formula with highly relativistic effects, so v = .8 c and r = 1 meter, say. What proper acceleration will the accelerometer read?
  14. blainiac

    Will this centrifugal fan design work?

    Hello everyone. I am working on a VTOL RC craft that I hope will work. I was planning on using a centrifugal fan to accelerate air radially (instead of a squirrel-cage design), and putting 45 degree truncated cones around it to direct it downwards. I wrote a program with many small...
  15. A

    Centrifugal force and artificial gravity

    In lecture 5 of MIT's OCW 8.01 , Prof. Lewin says that when you're in in uniform circular motion, the perceived gravity is always in the opposite direction as the push or pull (so if you're holding onto the end of a rope that's being spun around horziontally, the rope is pulling on you and you...
  16. B

    What Causes the Counterbalancing Force in a Frictionless, Rotating System?

    Hello, the problem I am working on is: "A puck of mass m = 51.0 g is attached to a taut cord passing through a small hole in a frictionless, horizontal surface (see figure below). The puck is initially orbiting with speed v_i = 1.30 m/s in a circle of radius r_i = 0.310 m. The cord is then...
  17. C

    Understanding the centrifugal force

    I'm learning about mechanics in noninertial frames and I'd like to clarify the apparent centrifugal force. To set things straight, Centrifugal force = Fcf = m(Ω×r)×Ω where Ω×r is the instaneous velocity at a point on the outside of a circle (or other rotating path) and Ω is the...
  18. Gh778

    Centrifugal forces + pressure and CG

    Take half torus with solid part of density 1, other half torus with liquid of density 1. The torus turn at W rd/s enough for maintain liquid at external circle. Now, for 0 to 180° we accelerate torus, this increase forces (blue in drawing) from pressure of water and from 180° to 360° we...
  19. P

    Is Centrifugal Force Real or Fictitious?

    In physics today, my teacher told me that Centrifugal force is a fake force? Is this true? What exactly is Centrifugal force? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
  20. B

    Centripetal Force vs Centrifugal Force

    Hi, thank you for reading this topic. This is something that really bothers me...First of all let me say that I know what the terms centripetal and centrifugal stand for. What's the problem then? The problem is that I've always read that the centripetal force is an actual force and that...
  21. K

    What kind of curve would you feel more centrifugal force?

    Would you feel more centrifugal force going around a small radius curve or a large radius curve going at constant speed? Why?
  22. L

    Centrifugal force vs Gravity

    Homework Statement The friction coefficient between the tires and the road is 0.6. What is the maximum velocity of the car without it sliding out of the turn. The radius of the curve is 80m. The curve is considered to be horizontal (as ridiculous as it may sound)Homework Equations F = ma The...
  23. A

    Centrifugal twisting moment of a propeller

    I am interested in calculating the centrifugal twisting moment (CTM) of a variable-pitch propeller blade. It's been a long time since I did anything with moments of inertia, so I'm looking for pointers to good info, or direct help if someone here can provide it. Assume there is a propeller with...
  24. S

    Help with physics homework regarding friction, tension, springs and centrifugal force

    Homework Statement The first problem I am having trouble with is as follows: A child pushes a 40kg sled across the ice at a constant speed. If μk = 0.05 calculate the force applied to the sled. Homework Equations I know that f=\muFN The Attempt at a Solution I know that the...
  25. G

    How Does Angular Velocity Affect the Angle of a Spring-Mass System?

    hi i found the following equation that a spring(with constant k) , a mass m rotating with angular velocity ω, will have a constant angle \alpha to the vertical axis that is given by cos(\alpha)=\frac{g}{\omega^2 l}(1-\frac{m \omega^2}{k}) this looks similar to something like...
  26. S

    G-Force and (possibly) Centrifugal force applied to the rotation of a car

    1. I'm in my first year of physics, and the end-of-year project is a bit of a doozy: find two examples of misapplied physics in movies and explain how it's wrong. For my first example, I chose a scene from the movie "The Iron Giant," in which the Giant picks up a car with Hogarth, our child...
  27. A

    What happens when a steel wheel explodes due to centrifugal force?

    What are the consequences of the explosion of a steel wheel by the action of centrifugal force and spinning at high speed? Am I creating the energy of this explosion?
  28. I

    What is the Efficiency of a Centrifugal Pump Used as a Turbine?

    Centrifugal pump as turbine! Dear Friends, Francis turbine and centrifugal pump has got the same (reverse ofcourse) technologies rt. Have they both got the same manufacturing criterion? will centrifugal pumb, if used as a turbine, have the same efficiency as that of francis turbine?
  29. D

    Measuring pressure across a centrifugal pump

    This should be an easy one but here goes... I am trying to easily measure flow rate in a pipe which has an in line centrifugal pump (Grundfos UPS 25-60) creating the head in the system. I have been told that installing a pressure gauge before and directly after the pump will give me system...
  30. G

    Why Don't Rockets Use Centrifugal Force for Launch?

    hi i was wondering why rockets always start upright, as if they would start in a position parallel to the surface of the earth(or at least almost parallel to the earth, but at the equator this should not be such a problem, if there are no mountains or anything else close to the point where...
  31. Z

    Centripetal and Centrifugal Acceleration.

    I am a bit confused about these accelerations. Anything that rotates has a linear acceleration which is a vector in the same direction as linear velocity . There is also a centripetal acceleration which "pulls" wants to pull the objects towards the axis of rotation. So the sum of these two...
  32. azizlwl

    Centrifugal Force and the Path of a Moving Particle in a Rotating Tube

    "Centrifugal force" Homework Statement A smooth horizontal tube of length l rotates about a vertical axis. A particle placed at the extreme end of the tube is projected towards O(axis) with a velocity lω while at the same time the tube rotates about the axis with constant angular speed ω...
  33. D

    Centrifugal Fan Fatigue Question

    Homework Statement I have a question concerning the desig of high-velocity, high-pressure industrial blowers. The company wants to avoid welding the blades to the impeller sides as welding causes the blades to deform slightly, and dynamic balancing of the impeller is difficult because of weld...
  34. U

    Centrifugal compressors some details on work done and vane angles.

    1. As far as the derivation goes, Cp(T02-T01)= Euler work= U2Cx2 in a centrifugal compressor... where T01 and T02 are the stagnation temperatures...however, in a solved problem in my book, it writes: Cp(T2-T1)= Euler work= U2Cx2...and therefore uses static temperature instead of stagnation...
  35. L

    Centrifugal Force Explained: Inertial vs Rotating Frames

    I don't understand how its a fictitious force and why you need to be in the rotating frame of reference to observe it? In the example of the moon and the Earth and its tides. You have the centripetal force causing the tides to increase at the point where the Earth is facing the moon and the...
  36. C

    Are all centrifugal compressor big ?

    Hi, i'm comparing differents types of compressor to find out which one I'm going to convert into a turbine for my rankine cycle projet. And I'm wondering : are centrifugal compressors only for big power because the smallest i can find is 50 hp (which is the smallest turbo of garrett). I'm...
  37. N

    Centrifugal Force Homework: Relationship to Radius?

    Homework Statement Hi, I am confused about the relationship between the centrifugal force and radius. The centrifugal force equation for an object having constant mass and angular velocity moving around the Earth on GRS80 reference is Fc = m w^2/r (m=mass, w^2=angular velocity of the...
  38. W

    Which Fan Is Best for Vertical Lift in Toy Projects: Axial or Centrifugal?

    Hello all! I just want to ask help from you guys, I am trying to select which fan would apply on my toy project, ok, here is my setup, I have a base, and on it is a fan and on top of that is a tube, like a duct, and what I am trying to see is what kind of fan i can use to ascend or make a...
  39. K

    Centripetal and Centrifugal force

    I just read that Centrifugal Force is a false force. It does not exist. Inertia (which is not a force) is mistakenly called Centrifugal force. Now, here is my question According to Newton's 3rd law of motion, forces always exist in pairs; action and reaction. Centripetal force which is the...
  40. Femme_physics

    Entrance to centrifugal pump = pressure lost in entrance to container?

    Does the local pressure lost endured in an entrance to a container (k =1) equal to the same local pressure lost of an entrance to a hydraulic Centrifugal pump (in basic hydraulic with mostly ideal conditions - neglecting friction). Or do we ignore it as local pressure lost?
  41. G

    Influence of Centrifugal force in 'g'

    Influence of "Centrifugal" force in 'g' Hello everyone, I was wondering one of these days if the 'centrifugal' force due to the rotation of the Earth in the Equator could cause any difference in the value of the gravitational acceleration; namely it would be supposedly less than the real...
  42. G

    Analogy between centrifugal force and gravity

    I understand the equivalence of gravity and uniform linear acceleration. But I'm less clear on the example involving circular motion (merry-go-round) and the equivalence of gravity and centrifugal force, because I'm unclear about the connections between SR & GR. The example does illuminate...
  43. T

    A centrifugal pump at the source tank sends fluid 200m

    Hi, This is a question regarding my employment. A centrifugal pump at the source tank sends fluid 200m using 3" hoses to a recieval tank. When the automatic valve shuts on the recieval tank the pump stops due to it having a pressure sensor.When the pump stops there is 8 Bar pressure on...
  44. N

    [ Spring pendulum ] Centrifugal Force transmissibility

    Hey folks, I just wonder how you guys think about this. Assume that there is a spring pendulum rotating at hinge (Free swing or forced swing). In this case, can I calculate force transmissibility (transmitted force amplitude to ground via spring devided by centrifugal force amplitude) ...
  45. C

    Centrifugal force, fictitious?

    If you've ever taken a bicycle wheel off, held it with both hands on either side of the axle and try to lean it side to side whilst the wheel is spinning it is very difficult, the wheel fights you and it's almost like the wheel wants to 'tip' about 90 degrees before or after (I can't...
  46. M

    Pump Selection: Manual vs. Existing Pump

    accordin to my last to posts here i found this special pump which has materials designed to carry a high press but the problem now i found a pump on the machine is bigger than the one in the manual so shall i buy the pump from manual or as the existing pump ?
  47. S

    Subtracting centrifugal acceleration from acceleration caused by movement

    I've been playing around with dead reckoning stuff on an rc plane by attaching a gps, 3 axis gyroscope, and 3 axis accelerometer to the plane. When the plane isn't turning, my algorithm works pretty well however when I enter a turn, the readings get way off. Specifically, the plane appears to...
  48. E

    Centrifugal acceleration - radians^2?

    Homework Statement I'm working a problem concerning centrifugal acceleration and I've stumbled on something I don't quite understand: Homework Equations F=mrω2 where ω=rad/s So the resulting units: kg * m*rad2/s2 The Attempt at a Solution I would expect acceleration...
  49. M

    Selecting a Centrifugal Pump for High Pressure Circulation in a Closed System

    dear guys how are u ?? i ve a problem with selecting a centrifugal pump for circulating water in a closed system this system consists of tank , pipes up to 60 meters with 2 inch dia , then these pipes deliver water to a tube contains pressurized nitrogen @ 10 bars then return back to tank and...
  50. Low-Q

    How does the centrifugal and coriolis forces affect a centrifugal pump?

    When a centrifugal pump is running, how much energy is required to fight against the coriolis force of the spinning water mass that flows from center toward the circumference? I have done some simple experiments with a tube. The tube have a water inlet in the middle of its length, so the open...
Back
Top