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- Word comparison: centripetal force vs. centrifugal force
centripetal force vs. centrifugal force
centripetal force vs. centrifugal force: 's the difference?
Centripetal force and centrifugal force both refer to power exerted on a body moving along a curved path. Centripetal force is an actual force directed towards the center of a curved path that makes a body follow the curve. Centrifugal force is not real, but a term created to describe the feeling that you’re flying outward when you’re moving in a curved line (think making a sharp turn in a fast car).
noun
- the force, acting upon a body moving along a curved path, that is directed toward the center of curvature of the path and constrains the body to the path.
noun
- an outward force on a body rotating about an axis, assumed equal and opposite to the centripetal force and postulated to account for the phenomena seen by an observer in the rotating body.