What is Centripetal force: Definition and 561 Discussions

A centripetal force (from Latin centrum, "center" and petere, "to seek") is a force that makes a body follow a curved path. Its direction is always orthogonal to the motion of the body and towards the fixed point of the instantaneous center of curvature of the path. Isaac Newton described it as "a force by which bodies are drawn or impelled, or in any way tend, towards a point as to a centre". In Newtonian mechanics, gravity provides the centripetal force causing astronomical orbits.
One common example involving centripetal force is the case in which a body moves with uniform speed along a circular path. The centripetal force is directed at right angles to the motion and also along the radius towards the centre of the circular path. The mathematical description was derived in 1659 by the Dutch physicist Christiaan Huygens.

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  1. Z

    Centripetal Force and G Forces while travelling over a hill

    [SOLVED] Centripetal Force and G Forces while traveling over a hill Homework Statement Hi everyone - I've had some problems wrapping my head around the ideas behind centripetal force while traveling over a hill, and, at wits end after journeying for hours through sites which are either...
  2. Shackleford

    Centripetal Force Airplace Problem

    Homework Statement A 2000 kg plane does a vertical loop with radius 600 m at a velocity of 120 m/s. At the very top of the loop, what is the force from the air required? Plane's mass = 2000 kg Radius = 600 m Velocity = 120 m/s Homework Equations F = (mv^2)/R Wt = mg Net F-sub y...
  3. S

    Will the Cake Stay on the Car in the Rotary?

    A driver leaves a cake on top of his car and enters a rotary with a speed of 10 m/s. The rotary has a radius of 15 m and the coefficient of friction between the cake and the top of the car is 0.600u. Will the cake stay on top? Can someone show both ways of doing this problem?
  4. C

    Find the magnitude of the centripetal force acting on the monkey

    A 9.5 kg monkey is hanging by one arm from a branch and is swinging on a vertical circle. As an approximation, assume a radial distance of 85 cm between the branch and the point where the monkey's mass is located. As the monkey swings through the lowest point on the circle, it has a speed of 2.6...
  5. U

    Explaining Centripetal Force to a Layperson

    I am writing an essay in which I try to describe Centripetal Force to a layperson. Since I am a layperson myself, I wanted to make sure that there were no glaring errors before I submitted it. If someone could review this, and let me know if it passes scientific muster, I would appreciate it...
  6. S

    Centripetal force of a roller coaster car

    I got all the other centripetal force questions but this one has me stumped... As a roller coaster car crosses the top of a 30m-diameter loop-the-loop, its apparent weight is the same as its true weight. What is the car's speed at the top? The formula I used for all of the other questions...
  7. T

    2 Questions: Centripetal Force related

    Question 1: In a popular amusement park ride, a rotating cylinder of radius 3.00 m is set in rotation at an angular speed of 7.00 rad/s, as in the figure displayed below. The floor then drops away, leaving the riders suspended against the wall in a vertical position. What minimum coefficient of...
  8. V

    Centripetal Force of a particle

    This is regarding a particle traveling in a uniform circular motion around a "loop." I understand that at the very top of the loop, the particle experiences Fg (Force of Gravity) and also Fn (Normal Force) due to contact with the surface, but also experiences acceleration in the "-y"...
  9. B

    Centripetal Force at an Angle

    [SOLVED] Centripetal Force at an Angle Homework Statement The design of a new road includes a straight stretch that is horizontal and flat but that suddenly dips down a steep hill at 22 degrees. The transition should be rounded with what minimum radius so that cars traveling 90 km/h will...
  10. V

    Centripetal Force: Moving Away from the Centre

    The answer is as follow: -force is needed toward the centre or there is acceleration toward the centre -movement to the left/toward A/away from the centre -right hand spring (attached to B) has to stretch to provide force I understand that centripetal force acts towards the...
  11. P

    Centripetal Force Lab: Converting Linear Speed to Radians/sec

    we did a lab in physics recently in which we whirled a rubber stopper at a given radius (1 meter) for 30 rev and timed it. below, are the values we got. i' not sure if i am converting the linear peed to radians/sec correctly. any input? Centripetal Force Period for 30 revolutions Period=T...
  12. T

    What is the velocity of the swinging pendulum?

    Homework Statement The pendulum is swinging at an angle of 25.5 degrees (with respect to the vertical) The mass of the object is 14.6 kg Length of String is .5 m Find the velocity (v = ?) Homework Equations Centripetal Acceleration (ac) = v^2/r Centripetal Force (Fc) = m*ac The...
  13. S

    Centripetal force of a car on a curve

    Homework Statement A 600 kg car is going over a curve with radius 120m that is banked at angle of 25 degrees with speed of 30 m/s. The coefficient of static friction between car and road is 0.3. What is the normal force?Homework Equations F(centripetal)= (mv^2)/r F(static) = Mu(normal force)The...
  14. S

    Centripetal force and friction

    Homework Statement In a carnival ride, passengers stand with their backs against the wall of a cylinder. The cylinder is set into rotation and the floor is lowered away from the passengers, but they remain stuck against the wall of the cylinder. For a cylinder with 2m radius, what is the...
  15. K

    Solve Centripetal Force for m_1 in Frictionless Table

    [SOLVED] help- speed Mass m_1 on the frictionless table of the figure is connected by a string through a hole in the table to a hanging mass m_2. With what speed must m_1 rotate in a circle of radius r if m_2 is to remain hanging at rest? i know i am suppose to show what i have done...
  16. R

    Understanding Centripetal Force: Solving for Friction on a Race Car

    Homework Statement A race car travels at a constant speed on a circular track. The net force on the car is 1600N. What kind of force creates the acceleration? a) air resistance b) friction tangent to the circle c) friction toward the center of the circle d) friction away from the center of...
  17. R

    Master Centripetal Force with this Homework Statement [Image Included]

    Homework Statement http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/7830/scan0001ym3.png The Attempt at a Solution A) i think force of Tension ... C) Normal Force Plz help me
  18. K

    Calculating Tension in a Revolving Sphere: Solving for T1 and T2

    Two wires are tied to the 400 g sphere shown in figure. The sphere revolves in a horizontal circle at a constant speed of 8.30 m/s 1) What is the tension in the upper wire? 2) What is the tension in the lower wire? okay i know that m=.4 and v=8.3 i don't know r, which i thought that...
  19. C

    Calculating Tension in a Flying Pig's Rope: Centripetal Force Explained

    My mission: Find the force of tension in the rope supporting your flying pig. No joke. We have a pig with mass .1618 kg that is attached to a string of "negligable mass". It flies around from a supsended point in uniform circular motion. Using the radius and period I found, I got the...
  20. T

    Centripetal force relation to angular momentum

    Homework Statement how could one prove a relation between centripetal force and angular velocity? i have tried to find this in a search but nothing came up. Homework Equations Fc= mv^2/r The Attempt at a Solution i guess this involves some sort of substitution for velocity...
  21. D

    Help on this would be amazing; centripetal force & projectile motion

    Homework Statement David used a sling to kill Goliath. The mass of the rock was 2.5 kg and the sling had a length of 1.2 m. If it spun horizontally 2 m above his head 7 times in 3 seconds: a. What was the launch velocity? b. What is the centripetal force and tension? c. How far is David...
  22. D

    Dividing Torque: Tangent and Centripetal Force Breakdown

    I'm in the Rotational Motion Chapter. After torque is applied to rotate an object,how do I go about breaking down the tangent vector and the centripetal force vector? What I want to know is how the torque is being divided between the tangent direction and the radius direction.
  23. G

    Centripetal Force in a Clothesdryer

    The question is: "In an automatic clothes dryer, a hollow cylinder moves the clothes on a vertical circle (radius r=0.32m). The appliance is designed so that the clothes tumble as they dry. This means that when a piece of clothing reaches an angle of \theta above the horizontal, it loses...
  24. V

    Help with centripetal force

    Hi can someone help me on this problem. a cat dozes around merry go round at radius 5.4 meters. the ride turns on and brought up to turning rate of 7.2 seconds in one complete rotation. how do i find the least static friction coefficient between the cat and the merry go round that will...
  25. Helios

    Relativistic centripetal force

    I derived the (magnitude of ) relativistic centripetal force mv^{2}/R[1-(v/c)^{2}]^{3/2} but my few books don't even mention relativistic centripetal force. Can someone corroborate this?
  26. F

    Car negotiating a banked curve - centripetal force

    Car negotiating a banked curve -- centripetal force We were asked to calculate the optimum (no friction), maximum, and minimum speeds alowed for a car making a banked curve. I calculated the optimum and maximum velocities using the provided angle, radius, and coefficient of static firction...
  27. E

    Explaining Centripetal Force: Why It Must Be Radial & Towards Centre

    I have to explain the argument, why the centripetal force must be radial and towards the centre, rather than away. I have just started circular motion and have no idea how to explain this sort of thing, I don't even understand the question!
  28. J

    Centripetal Force of an amusement park ride problem

    Homework Statement An amusement park ride consits of a rotating vertical cylinder with rough canvas walls. After the rider has entered and the cylinder is rotating sufficiently fast, the floor is dropped down, yet the rider does not slide down, The rider has a mass of 50 kilograms, the radius...
  29. S

    Centripetal Force behind Rotation?

    What is the centripetal foce for the rotation on one's own axis? Take an example of a ball, you spinned it and left it in an isolated condition. It keeps on spinning. While each of its atom is doing circular motion around a fixed point. What is the centripetal force causing it to circulate...
  30. I

    Understanding Centripetal Force: Solving for Tension

    I am thoroughly confused about centripetal force. I was doing this problem myself and when looked at the solution i was fairly confused. The problem was like this. There is a thread which is hinged to a pole and the pole is rotating with an angular velocity of 'w'. The rope has got...
  31. A

    Understanding Centripetal Force: The Effects of Manipulating Variables

    I had to do an experiment where you manipulate and change different variables (mass providing centripetal force, radius etc.) and then further invesigate the effects on centripetal force that these changes had. My problem is that it says that by keeping the mass providing the centripetal force...
  32. D

    Centripetal Force Physics Lab Question

    I need help with this lab I'm doing involving swinging a mass in a circle (I'm sure you guys have heard of it). I have to plot a graph of Radius vs. FT^2 and then compare the value of the slope to its theoretical value. A couple questions: Which goes on the y axis? Radius or FT^2? How do I...
  33. J

    Magnetism and Centripetal force question

    Homework Statement One method for determing masses of heavy ions involves timing their orbital period in a known magnetic field. What is the mass of a singly charged ion that makes 7.0 revolutions in 1.3 x 10^-3 seconds in a 4.5 x 10^-2 T field. a) 2.1x10^-25 kg b) 1.3x10^-24 kg c)...
  34. I

    Centripetal Force: Is it Real or Pseudo?

    Centripetal force?? Does centripetal force actually act on a body? I have a question regarding the same here. If the satellite is attrated to the Earth by the gravitational force F and simultaneously a centripetal force F also acts on the Body. Then the net force acting on the body is: a)F...
  35. B

    Centripetal force question(involves satellite going around earth.

    Homework Statement Determine how long it would take for the satellite to make 1 complete revolution around earth A 500 kg satellite is orbiting earth, radius of Earth is 6.38 x 10^3 km, and acceleration of gravity as the orbital altitude of 160km is the same as Earth basically 9.8.Homework...
  36. B

    Centripetal Force: Distance b/w Centers or Surfaces?

    When doing problems involving centripetal force, using the equation: F = mv^2/r , is r the distance between the centers of the two masses or is it the distance between the surfaces?
  37. H

    Centripetal Force & Gravitation

    it's on centripetal force and gravitation problems.. wonderin if anyone can provide me answers such that i can compare mine here's the assignment http://www.geocities.com/cheemaharmeet/assignment.jpg mine are { 1. 8N; 2. 1.97 hr; 3. 7.9E3 m/s 4. 382.26 m, 5.49E3 N 5. 8E-10 N 6...
  38. K

    Centripetal Force and Tension in Rotating System

    Homework Statement A 1.0kg ball is attached to a rigid vertical rod by the means of two massless strongs each 1.0m long. The strings are attached to the rod at points 1.0m apart. The system is rotating about the axis of the rod, both strings being taut and forming an equilateral triangle with...
  39. D

    Centripetal Force in Vertical Circular Loop: What Provides It?

    Hi. When a plane travels in a vertical circular loop, what is the provider of the centripetal force, required to produce the circular motion? At the top of the loop, there is gravity acting towards the center of the circle, so id assume that this is part of it, but what about at the bottom...
  40. A

    Is centripetal force present in inertial and non-inertial frames?

    is centripetal force present in inertial and non-inertial frames?
  41. A

    Understanding Centripetal Force on Rollercoasters

    Well, I was just browsing through this website:http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/circmot/rcd.html it explains stuff about the centripetal force, but how come for a rollercoaster, you add the normal force and gravity force to come up with the net force or the centripetal force? Could...
  42. G

    Centripetal force Rotor-ride problem

    Homework Statement In a "Rotor-ride" at a carnival, riders are pressed against the inside wall of a vertical cylinder 2.0m in radius rotating at a speed of 1.1 revolutions per second when the floor drops out. What minimum coefficient of friction is needed so a person won't slip down? Is this...
  43. W

    Some questions concerning centripetal force.

    1. A mass attached to a 50-cm long string starts from rest and is rotated 40 times in 1.00 min before reaching a final angular speed. Determine the angular acceleration of the mass, assuming that it is constant. W = Delta Theta/Delta Time Average Acceleration = Delta W/Delta time W =...
  44. D

    Centripetal force question + other question

    1. A dog sits 1.50 meters from the center of a merry-go-round with an angular speed of 1.20 rad/s. If the magnitude of the force that maintains the dog's circular motion is 40.0 N, what is the dog's mass? 2. Fc = (mv^2) / r 3. We were provided with the answer "18.5" but I do NOT...
  45. W

    Direction of centripetal force

    Is the direction of centripetal force of an object moving in a circle pointing to the center of the circular path?
  46. D

    Calculating Centripetal Force in Pendulums - Tips and Tricks | THx

    How do you calculate the centripetal force in pendulums? THx
  47. 8

    BASIC Centripetal Force PROBLEM HELP

    Calculate the centripetal force on a 2000-kg automobile roudning a curve of 175 m radius at a speed of 50 km/h. ok so this Fc=mv^2/r i did 2000(50)(1000)(3600) / 175 but this was incorrect. the answer is 2.2x10^3 N the 1000x3600 was to convert the km/h to m/s and i think that's...
  48. T

    Centripetal Force, Tension, Circular Motion

    Hi again ^^. I worked to the best of my ability to solve my homework problem, but it's very hard and confusing me. I showed all of the work to the best of my knowledge, and I was hoping someone could check my work. I'm not necessarily looking for the answer as much as an explanation so that I...
  49. D

    Centripetal force of a rollercoaster

    "The wheels of a certain roller coaster are both above and below the rails so that the car will not leave the rails. The mass supported by this particular wheel is 402 kg and the radius of this section of track is 70 m. What is the magnitude of the force that the track exerts on the wheel when...
  50. W

    Master Centripetal Force with These Final Questions | Fan & Airplane Examples

    first off, thanks for all the help. My physics book got taken when my car got broken into and my backpack was taken. I have an old book and my pages don't coencide with my homework. everyone has been a big help. with that,, i just have two final questions about centripetal force: 1. A...
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