There are many applications that exploit centripetal force. In each of these cases, though, there is only one real force being applied, while the other is only an apparent force. In the case of a rotating system, the centripetal force pulls the mass inward to follow a curved path, while the mass appears to push outward due to its inertia. When you are in an accelerating car, the seat exerts a forward force on you just as you appear to exert a backward force on the seat. Newton's third law states that "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." Just as gravity causes you to exert a force on the ground, the ground appears to exert an equal and opposite force on your feet. The force can be calculated by simply rearranging the equation - F= mv^2/r. The radius (r) of this circle is equal to the mass (m) times the square of the velocity (v) divided by the centripetal force (F), or r = mv^2/F. In order for it to follow a circular path without changing speed, a continuous centripetal force must be applied at a right angle to its path. If a massive body is moving through space in a straight line, its inertia will cause it to continue in a straight line unless an outside force causes it to speed up, slow down or change direction. Newton's first law states that "a body at rest will remain at rest, and a body in motion will remain in motion unless it is acted upon by an external force." This apparent outward force is described by Newton's laws of motion. But if you're riding inside the car, you instead feel a force attempting to push you away from the center of the circle - this is the centrifugal force.Ĭentrifugal force and Newton's laws of motion If you're watching from the outside, you can observe the centripetal force pushing the car inward toward the center, keeping it moving in a circle. Let's return to the example of the car following a banked turn. However, if you are part of the rotating system, you experience an apparent centrifugal force pushing you away from the center of the circle, even though what you are actually feeling is the inward centripetal force that is keeping you from literally going off on a tangent. If you are observing a rotating system from the outside, you see an inward centripetal force acting to constrain the rotating body to a circular path. "Centripetal force and centrifugal force are really the exact same force, just in opposite directions because they're experienced from different frames of reference." Ganse, a research physicist at the University of Washington. "The difference between centripetal and centrifugal force has to do with different 'frames of reference,' that is, different viewpoints from which you measure something," said Andrew A. In other words, when twirling a mass on a string, the string exerts an inward centripetal force on the mass, while mass "appears" to exert an outward centrifugal force on the string. Note that while centripetal force is an actual force, centrifugal force is defined as an apparent force. Centrifugal is the outward force while centripetal pulls a rotating object inward.
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