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Question 77 of 108

Q.Distinguish between centripetal and centrifugal force.

Maharashtra MsbshseMaharashtra HSC (MSBSHSE) Board 2018Subjective· 2mImportance★★★★★
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Centripetal force is real and acts in the inertial (lab) frame; centrifugal force is fictitious, invoked only to apply Newton's laws in the rotating frame.

Centripetal forceCentrifugal force
A real force, provided by an actual physical agent (tension, gravity, normal reaction, friction, etc.)A pseudo (fictitious) force — has no real physical agent providing it
Acts toward the centre of the circular pathActs away from the centre of the circular path
Observed and needed in an inertial (non-rotating) frame of reference to explain circular motion via Newton's second lawAppears only in a non-inertial, rotating frame of reference, to allow Newton's laws to be applied formally in that frame
Its magnitude is F=mv2/rF = mv^2/r, and it is the net real force causing the centripetal accelerationIts magnitude is also mv2/rmv^2/r, but it exactly balances the centripetal force in the rotating frame so the body appears in equilibrium there

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