Originally posted by: exdeath
Originally posted by: Bigsm00th
Originally posted by: exdeath
Originally posted by: Tylanner
damn centrifugal force
There is no such thing as a "centrifugal force". What we call centrifugal "force" is actually the observation of Newton's first law (Law of Inertia) in the absence of a centripetal force.
In this case, a seat belt would have provided the required centripetal force to keep the body in rotational motion within the vehicle; without it the body maintained a linear path of motion due to Newton's first law.
This is the same as when stone is released from a sling; the velocity of the stone at any instant is tangent to the path of circular motion, and when the centripetal force is removed by releasing the sling, the rock leaves under its own inertia in a straight line and maintains the instantaneous tangent velocity present at the moment the sling was released.
sorry, but there is such a thing. centrifugal force is a real force just like the force you would feel if you banged your head on the desk, which is what you should do for trying to propogate the myth that this force is not real.
Wrong. Centrifugal force is an imaginary force that is used to label the mysterious force that appears to throw objects outward from a rotating body; but this is simply the result of Newton?s Law of Inertia; the objects that appear to be thrown are simply resisting acceleration in a circle without a centripetal force directed inward to accelerate them in a circular path.
For example, in a car in a turn, your body maintains its inertia and tries to maintain a straight path of motion while the car goes around the corner. That is until you slam into the car door which provides centripetal force toward the center of the circle to keep you moving around the curve with the car instead of in a straight line. (Inward friction forces from the tires trying to slide outward due to the cars own inertia also trying to maintain its previous straight line of motion, and normal forces due to banked turns provide the centripetal force that keeps the car from trying to maintain its own inertia.)
Sometimes however "centrifugal force" is often the name given to the reaction force of a body against the object providing centripetal force due to Newton?s 3rd law. You feel a force from the car door (the centripetal force) and by Newton's 3rd law the car door must also feel a force from your body. This reaction force is sometimes called the "centrifugal" force.
But it should be clear that there IS NOT a ?centrifugal force? that ejects objects outward from rotating bodies.