How does inertia cause the water to stay in the bucket

AI Thread Summary
Inertia is the property that keeps the water in the bucket while it spins vertically, as it resists changes to its state of motion. The bucket exerts a centripetal force that keeps the water moving in a circular path, effectively surrounding the water. If the bucket were to stop applying this force, such as if the rope were cut, the water would continue in a straight line due to inertia, falling out in the tangential direction. The discussion emphasizes that the water remains in the bucket not because it is held there, but because the bucket is moving with it. Understanding these principles of circular motion and the role of forces clarifies how inertia operates in this scenario.
candypie90
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Homework Statement: How or why does inertia cause the water to stay in the bucket while spinning it vertically?

I know inertia is the tendency of an object to remain at rest or in a state of uniform motion, but I am not exactly sure how it causes the water to stay in the bucket while it is spinning in a vertical circle.
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[Moderator's note: Moved from a homework forum as it is about the basic principle.]
 
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What do you know about circular motions? Are they uniform? Which forces are involved?
 
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candypie90 said:
How or why does inertia cause the water to stay in the bucket while spinning it vertically?
You can look at it differently. It is not so much that the water stays in the bucket. It is that the bucket stays around the water. If any little bit happens to fly free, the bucket accelerates the rest of the water to catch up.
 
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fresh_42 said:
What do you know about circular motions? Are they uniform? Which forces are involved?
I know that centripetal and centrifugal forces are involved
 
candypie90 said:
I know that centripetal and centrifugal forces are involved
So if forces are involved, where do you get your uniform motion from? Something has to literally force the bucket on its circle. If this force no longer applies, the bucket will fly off and the water will react due to inertia. Cp. post #3.
 
The bucket has a tangential velocity so if i cut the rope attached to the bucket (this is the radius) it would fly off in what ever the tangential direction was. I am confused? So the water is moving with the bucket in a uniform circular motion but when the rope is cut the water will fall out in what ever the tangential direction was of the bucket?
 
candypie90 said:
I am confused?
How would the water have to move to fall out of bucket? How does inertia want the water to move?
 
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