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Psyguy22
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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!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fictitious_forcePsyguy22 said:Why Is it "fictionious"?
A fictitious force, also called a pseudo force,[1] d'Alembert force[2][3] or inertial force,[4][5] is an apparent force that acts on all masses in a non-inertial frame of reference, such as a rotating reference frame. The force F does not arise from any physical interaction but rather from the acceleration a of the non-inertial reference frame itself.
In physics, the common usage for centrifugal force is in a rotating frame. If you read the wiki articles, it explains that it is a "fictitious" force because the apparent force is one that causes objects in "free fall" to accelerate "outwards", when in fact, it's some point of observation on the rotating frame that is accelerating while the observed object in "free fall" is not being acted upon by any force or accelerating. There's also an apparent "fictitious" coriolis force in a rotating frame.Psyguy22 said:So does it actually exist? Why Is it "fictitious"?
Centrifugal force is the apparent outward force that an object experiences when it is moving in a curved path. It is caused by the object's inertia pulling it away from the center of the curve.
Centripetal force is the force that keeps an object moving in a circular path, while centrifugal force is the outward force that is perceived when an object is moving in a curved path. They are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction.
Some examples of Centrifugal force in everyday life include riding a merry-go-round, swinging a bucket of water in a circular motion, and turning a corner in a car. In all of these examples, the object experiences an outward force due to its inertia.
Centrifugal force is a result of Newton's first law of motion, which states that an object in motion will remain in motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an external force. In the case of Centrifugal force, the external force is the object's inertia pulling it away from the center of the curve.
No, Centrifugal force is an apparent force and does not actually exist. It is the result of an object's inertia and can only be perceived from an outside frame of reference. Humans can only feel the effects of Centripetal force, which is the force keeping them in a circular motion.