Is Centrifugal Force Real or Fictitious?

In summary: So, like a lot of physics, it depends on what you mean by "centrifugal force".In summary, centrifugal force is a "fictitious" force that appears in a rotating frame of reference and is used to compensate for the rotating frame. There is also a debated term called "reactive centrifugal force" which refers to the Newton 3rd law reaction force exerted by a centripetally accelerated object in an inertial frame. The "fictitious" nature of centrifugal force arises from the acceleration of the frame itself rather than any physical interaction. The less common usage of "reactive centrifugal force" involves an object exerting an equal and opposite force onto the source of centripetal acceleration.
  • #1
Psyguy22
62
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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!
 
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  • #2
In a rotating frame of reference, centrifugal force is a "fictitious" force used to compensate for the rotating (non-inertial) frame. There's also the debatable term "reactive centrifugal force" that refers to the Newton 3rd law reaction force exerted by a centripetally accelerated object onto the object producing the centripetal force in an inertial (non-accelerating) frame. Wiki articles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrifugal_force

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactive_centrifugal_force
 
  • #3
Its simply the tendency of an object following a curved path to fly away from the center of curvature.

If you need further understanding, there is always the google box :)
 
  • #4
So does it actually exist? Why Is it "fictionious"?
 
  • #5
Psyguy22 said:
Why Is it "fictionious"?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fictitious_force
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.
 
  • #6
Psyguy22 said:
So does it actually exist? Why Is it "fictitious"?
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.

For the less common usage, "reactive centrifugal force" is one of the two Newton 3rd law pair of forces involving centripetal acceleration. Say an object is attached to a string and that the object is moving in a circular path. The string exerts a centripetal force onto the object, and the object reacts to the acceleration by exerting an equal but opposing "reactive centrifugal force" onto the string.

Note that "fictitious" centrifugal force is one that appears to be exerted onto an object, while "reactive centrifugal force" is a force that the accelerated object exerts onto something else.
 

1. What is Centrifugal force?

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.

2. How is Centrifugal force different from Centripetal force?

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.

3. What are some examples of Centrifugal force in everyday life?

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.

4. How is Centrifugal force related to Newton's laws of motion?

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.

5. Can Centrifugal force be felt by humans?

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.

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