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Question 77 of 89

Q.State the differences between centripetal force and centrifugal force.

Tamil Nadu DgeTamil Nadu HSC First Year (DGE) Board 2023Subjective· 3mImportance★★★★★
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Centripetal force is a genuine inward force causing circular motion (valid in any inertial frame); centrifugal force is an outward pseudo-force that only appears in a rotating, non-inertial frame.

Differences between centripetal force and centrifugal force:

  1. Nature:
    • Centripetal force is a real, physical force (e.g. tension, gravity, friction, normal reaction) that actually acts on the body.
    • Centrifugal force is a pseudo (fictitious/apparent) force -- it does not arise from any real physical interaction.
  2. Direction:
    • Centripetal force acts towards the centre of the circular path.
    • Centrifugal force appears to act away from the centre (radially outward).
  3. Frame of reference:
    • Centripetal force is observed and needed to explain circular motion in an inertial (non-accelerating) frame of reference.
    • Centrifugal force appears only when the motion is described from a rotating (non-inertial) frame of reference, to make Newton's second law appear to hold there.
  4. Cause:
    • Centripetal force is the actual cause of the body's circular motion -- it provides the necessary radial (centripetal) acceleration v^2/r towards the centre. …

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