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Centripetal force is directed toward the center of rotation of an orbiting body or object following a curved path. Centrifugal force is the apparent force, equal and opposite to the centripetal force, drawing a rotating body away from the center of rotation, caused by the inertia of the body.

Whenever you see a moving object that's not traveling in a straight line, you know that a force is acting upon it. That's because objects tend to resist changes to their velocities. The greater the mass, the greater the resistance to changes in velocity. That's called inertia. Objects at rest tend to stay at rest, and objects in motion tend to stay in motion, unless acted upon by some external force. (See Newton's First Law.)

Since velocity is a vector -- remember vectors have magnitude AND direction -- any change in an object's direction constitutes a changes in its velocity. When an object is flying around in a circle, its velocity is constantly changing because its direction is constantly changing! That means a force is working on it. That force is the centripetal force, and since force is equal to mass times acceleration, there must be an acceleration involved. You guessed it -- centripetal acceleration.

In short:

Centrifugal force is away from the center and centripetal force is towards the center.

In even shorter:

Centripetal force is real. Centrifugal force doesn't exist.

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10y ago
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14y ago

Centripetal force is the inward directed force that causes an object to move in a circular path.

Centrifugal force is actually not a force; it is the apparent (and fictitious) "force" that one feels when traveling a circular path; directed outward, it is actually the inertia of an object that is resisting being pulled in a circular path.

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12y ago

Tangential acceleration is acceleration in the direction of travel, i.e. tangent to the instantaneous velocity. Centripetal acceleration is perpendicular or normal to that, specifically, in the direction of the acceleration, i.e. towards the center of the circle of travel. Angular acceleration is anything in between, or outside of those two definition, i.e. not tangent and not normal.

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14y ago

force is the product of mass of the body in circular motion and centripetal accleration

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Q: What is the difference of centripetal force and centrifugal force?
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Related questions

What is the reaction force to Centripetal Force within a Centrifuge If centrifugal forces are fictitious?

Always centrifugal is the reaction force for centripetal


What is centrifugal force a measure of?

Centrifugal force is a measure of the opposite reaction of a centripetal force.


How can you use centrifugal in a sentence?

Centrifugal force is often confused with centripetal force.


What is the difference centrifugal and centripetal force?

Centripetal ("towards the center") force is a real force, that pulls something towards the center during a circular movement. Centrifugal ("center-fleeing") force is a ficticious force, required to explain the observed reactions in a rotating frame of reference.


Are centrifugal force and Reactive Centrifugal force the same thing?

Reactive centrifugal force is not the same thing as centrifugal force. Reactive centrifugal force is the reaction force. It is the reaction force reacting to a centripetal force.


Is the institution of slavery a centripetal force or a centrifugal force?

No, it isn't.


What is the apparent force that results from centripetal force called?

Centrifugal force.


What is centripetal force and centrifugal force examples in dailylife?

Centripetal force is the force necessary to apply to an object to get it to orbit; like spinning a rock on a string. It you are holding on to the string, you will feel a centrifugal force.


What are Centripetal and Centrifugal forces work?

Center of gravity toward the center of the body absorbs. Centrifugal force away from the center of the object. Centripetal force is real. Centrifugal force is made up and doesn't exist.


Why centripetal force is not real force?

I believe centripetal is considered real, its centrifugal that's not real. It relates to the four fundamental forces.


What is centrifugal motion?

Centrifugal motion is an outward force on a body rotating about an axis. It is the opposite of centripetal force.


Is Centripetal force the same as centrifugal force?

No. Centripetal force is a real force that pulls objects towards the center of the circular motion. Centrifugal force is a ficticious force that seems to pull an object towards the outside.