What is the different between centrifugal and centripetal forces?

Question

What is the different between centrifugal and centripetal forces?

Answer 1

2 points!

Answer 2

when an object moves in a circular path, a force acts on it towards the centre of the circular path,which is centripetal force, and so to balance the force an equal and opposite force acts on it outwards the path known as centrifugal force. actually centrifugal force doesn't exist but we assume it .

Answer 3

centripetal force that force pull an object moving in a circle towards the centre of the circle. and according to the newton 3 law for every action there is a equal reaction so centrifugal force is the reaction but opposite in direction with same magnitude.  

Answer 4

Wow no such thing? That made me chuckle.

Think of centripetal as a force being pushed towards the center of a circle and centrifugal as a force being pushed out or away from the center of a circle.

Does this help?

Answer 5

Here is the difference: -

Suppose some particle is moving on a circular path with constant speed. Its speed is constant but direction is changing. Velocity comprises both speed and direction. Since direction is changing, this means velocity is changing. That, in turn, means that there is force on the particle.

This force is towards the centre of the path. This force is called as centripetal force.

Now consider another case. Suppose that the frame of reference itself is rotating in a circular path at a constant speed. You have to study the behaviour of a system in this frame. The frame of reference is accelerating. This means that you should assume a pseudo force on the system. Pseudo force is always opposite to the acceleration of the frame of reference. Since the acceleration of the frame is towards the centre, therefore, the pseudo force on the system is away from the system. This pseudo force is centrifugal force.

So, centripetal force is the radially inward force which makes an object move in a circular path. Centrifugal force is the radially outward pseudo force, which we need to assume on an object, if the motion of the object is studied in a frame of reference, which is rotating in a circular path.

Note: Sometimes any radially outward force is called as centrifugal force. But, now, this meaning is rarely used. At present, the commonly used meaning of centrifugal is what I have described above.

Answer 6

Centrifugal force does not exist...there is no such thing. (..http://www.regentsprep.org/Regents/physi... Centripetal force is the force required to hold a moving object in a circular path, like a satellite in orbit.

The only definition that's valid for centrifugal "force" is it's the lack of centripetal force.

Answer 7

If you were spinning a rock tied to a string, you have the centrifugal force acting perpendicular to the path of the rock. Should you release the string the rock will fly off in the direction of the Centrifugal force.

The Centripetal force is pulling rock towards the center and , I think, it acts perpendicular to the direction of the Centrifugal force.

Answer 8

As I understand it, centrifugal is the force acting to hold an object to the surface of the inside of something like a spinning cylinder and centripetal is the force on a string as you swing a weight in a circle.

Answer 9

theres no such thing as centrifugal force.