Why does a pendulum in a car swing outwards when the car drives in a circle?

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When a car drives in a circle, a pendulum attached to its roof swings outward due to inertia, which causes the pendulum to resist the change in direction. This outward swing occurs because the pendulum's mass wants to move in a straight line, while the car's circular motion exerts a centripetal force that pulls it inward. The tension in the string of the pendulum provides the necessary force to keep it attached, but the pendulum's inertia makes it appear to swing outward. The concept of centripetal force is crucial, as it explains how the pendulum is constantly accelerated toward the center of the circle. Understanding these forces clarifies why the pendulum behaves this way in a moving vehicle.
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Homework Statement



If we attach a pendulum to the roof of a car and drive the car in a circle, why does the circle swing outwards away from the center of the circle.

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The Attempt at a Solution



I don't understand the idea that inertia causes this, can some 1 clarify this for me.
 
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Same idea of swinging a mass at the end of a string, what keeps the mass at the end of the string, I don't understand the idea of "centripetal force". In quotations because I know its not really a force.
 
What keeps the mass at the end of the string? The string does. The object is trying to move in a straight line, but the string is causing a constant acceleration towards the center of the circle.
 
Though what about the pendulum in the car.
 

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