Centripetal force demo dishonesty

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The discussion critiques the use of demonstrations in physics classrooms that depict centripetal force, arguing they often misrepresent the concept by suggesting an "inward pull." Two examples, a candle flame on a spinning turntable and a cork in water, are highlighted as misleading because they rely on air displacement and centrifugal effects rather than true centripetal force. Participants debate whether these demonstrations are acceptable, with some asserting that they mislead students about the nature of forces in circular motion. The conversation also touches on the physics of washing machines, emphasizing that clothes are pushed outward rather than pulled inward. Overall, the consensus leans toward the idea that these demonstrations can create misconceptions about the fundamental principles of physics.
  • #31
Borek said:
Think about it this way: if there were no inward force, there would be no no circular motion.

If we observe an object moving in circles, something makes it going in circles. Without this "something" the object would move straight ahead. That's the Newton's first law. This "something" is an inward force. What is its origin, how it is applied - that's another thing. But just by seeing how the object behaves, we know that the force must be there.

If you put a rocket on a tether so it cannot fly in one direction but instead is forced to move in a circular path (we have all seen these fireworks right) which force is more primary the tether resisting the straight line motion of the rocket or the force provided by the propulsion. Which force is primary and which one is reactive?
 
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  • #32
I agree with others. You should draw a free body diagram. Maybe then you'd stop thinking there is a tangential force, among other things.
Best would be to draw two: one in the rotating the other in non-rotating frame, as you keep on mixing the two.
 
  • #33
Nugatory said:
No torque if you're rotating at a constant angular velocity.



The spokes are fighting the outwards-stretching tendency of the rim, preventing the rim from stretching even further.

You can only talk about the spokes fighting the outwards stretching force as a secondary reactive force...btw what is the name of that outward stretching force :) which comes first?
 
  • #34
d4rr3n said:
Yes I do recognize that and that is part of the problem because physicists only talk about an inward force and a tangential force they don't talk about the outward force which is what I find confusing. If you look at the tank of water there is no inwards force on the water..
Yes there is. All of these scenarios are the same, you just have to work harder to find it in some cases.
...if there was it would accumulate in the center of the tank but the opposite occurs. At most you can only talk about the "reactive" inward force of the tank walls resisting the outward force of the water.
There is no "at most": the force of the walls pushing in on the water is the force we are talking about! If that forcer were not present, the water would splatter around the room!

Again, all of these scenarios are the same. What is different is just you losing track of the forces in some cases. Again: drawing a diagram will help you find your lost forces.
The yoyo is actually climbing/descending a plain, ie it is the string applying torque on the center of the yoyo that makes it spin
Sorry, I wasn't clear: I meant a yoyo at the end of its string, being twirled around your finger. A trick known as "around the world".
 
  • #35
d4rr3n said:
You can only talk about the spokes fighting the outwards stretching force as a secondary reactive force...btw what is the name of that outward stretching force :) which comes first?
Neither: all force pairs arise simultaneously.
 
  • #36
Bandersnatch said:
I agree with others. You should draw a free body diagram. Maybe then you'd stop thinking there is a tangential force, among other things.
Best would be to draw two: one in the rotating the other in non-rotating frame, as you keep on mixing the two.


Why does the shaft of a motor spin, I hope people are not going to say centripetal force or that there is some imaginary inward force pointing into the center of the motor shaft. The motor turns because the windings are produce a couple and it is turning about the center of that couple. Now put a wagon wheel on that motor shaft and magically people start talking about this inward pull. The wheel wants to expand, spin it fast enough and it will fly apart. Which force overcomes which in the end, which is more primary the inward or the outward?
 
  • #37
d4rr3n said:
If you put a rocket on a tether so it cannot fly in one direction but instead is forced to move in a circular path (we have all seen these fireworks right) which force is more primary the tether resisting the straight line motion of the rocket or the force provided by the propulsion. Which force is primary and which one is reactive?
Those two forces are not directly associated. The force that starts the linear/tangential motion is not at issue in any of these scenarios.
 
  • #38
russ_watters said:
Those two forces are not directly associated. The force that starts the linear/tangential motion is not at issue in any of these scenarios.

Ok I'm going to say the tangential force is the primary and these inward/outward force are only reactive secondary forces.
 
  • #39
d4rr3n said:
I don't have difficulty in seeing the centripetal force in the case of an orbiting satellite that's why I said Vs a wagon wheel. Explain to me instead why the spokes of the wheel are in tension and not compression.

In a wagon wheel the spokes are made of wood and are in compression. The iron-shod rim of the wagon wheel is in compression. This holds the entire assembly together with no need for glue, nails or other fasteners. The construction of a wooden barrel held together by hoops is similar. The tension is normally created by pre-heating the rim (or hoops) before applying them to the spoke/hub assembly (or barrel staves).

In a bicycle wheel the spokes are made of steel and are in tension. The steel or aluminum rim of the bicycle wheel is in compression. The tension is normally created by tightening tiny nuts threaded onto the end of each spoke.

None of this has the slightest thing to do with rotation, centripetal or centrifugal force as they are used in classical physics.
 
  • #40
d4rr3n said:
Ok I'm going to say the tangential force is the primary and these inward/outward force are only reactive secondary forces.

It is a false dichotomy. There is no such thing as a "primary" or a "reactive" force.
 
  • #41
d4rr3n said:
Ok I'm going to say the tangential force is the primary and these inward/outward force are only reactive secondary forces.

There are NO tangential forces necessary for circular motion! Stop making things up as you go along or adding complications to this scenario!

Again, draw the free-body diagram, or at the very least, look it up!

Zz.
 
  • #42
d4rr3n said:
Ok I'm going to say the tangential force is the primary and these inward/outward force are only reactive secondary forces.
No. In constant speed motion, the tangential force is zero.

Whether on purpose or not, your adding of additional forces to the scenario is a red herring that is leading you away from understanding the issue.
 
  • #43
This standard derivation (which I believe can be found in many textbooks) starts NOT by assuming any kind of forces acting on the system, but rather from the motion of the particle in a uniform circular motion. In other words, if we have something moving uniformly in a circle, what is the acceleration (and thus, force) on the system?

http://ruina.tam.cornell.edu/Book/Chapter13_5.4.07.pdf

The result for the acceleration, shown in Eq. 13.6, and letting the second derivative of theta to be zero (for uniform circular motion), shows that the ONLY direction of acceleration is inwards for such a motion. This means that this is the direction of the applied force that caused this type of motion.

So without assuming in the beginning about the nature of the force acting on a uniform circular motion, one can already derive mathematically the direction of the acceleration and the force of the system.

Zz.
 

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