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★★★★★
87% · 77/89 Questions
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →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:
- 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.
- Direction:
- Centripetal force acts towards the centre of the circular path.
- Centrifugal force appears to act away from the centre (radially outward).
- 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.
- 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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