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{{wiktionary|centrifugal force}} {{short description|Type of inertial force}}
{{Distinguish|Centripetal force}}
]
{{Classical mechanics|rotational}}


'''Centrifugal force''' is a ] in ] (also called an "inertial" or "pseudo" force) that appears to act on all objects when viewed in a ]. It appears to be directed radially away from the ] of the frame. The magnitude of the centrifugal force ''F'' on an object of ] ''m'' at the distance ''r'' from the axis of a rotating frame of reference with ] {{mvar|ω}} is: <math display="block">F = m\omega^2 r</math>
In everyday understanding, '''centrifugal force''' (from ] ''centrum'' "center" and ''fugere'' "to flee") represents the effects of ] that arise in connection with rotation and which are experienced as an outward force away from the center of rotation. It is often referred to as an inertial force because it doesn't show up when a straight line motion is described in Cartesian coordinates.


This fictitious force is often applied to rotating devices, such as ]s, ]s, ]s, and ]es, and in ]s, ]s and ]s, when they are analyzed in a ] such as a rotating coordinate system.
==Reactive centrifugal force==


The term has sometimes also been used for the '']'', a real frame-independent Newtonian force that exists as a reaction to a ] in some scenarios.
{{main|Reactive centrifugal force}}


==History==
A ] is the ] ] to a ]. A ] undergoing curved motion, such as ], constantly ]s toward the ]. This ] is provided by a ], which is exerted on the mass by some other object. In accordance with ], the mass exerts an equal and opposite force on the object. This is the "real" or "]" centrifugal force: it is directed away from the center of rotation, and is exerted ''by'' the rotating mass ''on'' the object that originates the centripetal acceleration.<ref name=Mook>
{{Main|History of centrifugal and centripetal forces}}


From 1659, the ] term ''vi centrifuga'' ("centrifugal force") is attested in ]' notes and letters.<ref name=yoeder>{{cite journal | url=http://www.gewina.nl/journals/tractrix/yoder91.pdf | title=Christiaan Huygens' Great Treasure | first=Joella | last=Yoder | author-link=Joella Yoder |journal=Tractrix | volume=3 | year=1991 | pages=1–13 | access-date=12 April 2018 | archive-date=13 April 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413044740/http://www.gewina.nl/journals/tractrix/yoder91.pdf | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Yoder2013">{{cite book|last=Yoder|first=Joella|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XGZlIvCOtFsC|title=A Catalogue of the Manuscripts of Christiaan Huygens including a concordance with his Oeuvres Complètes|date=17 May 2013|publisher=BRILL|isbn=9789004235656|access-date=12 April 2018|archive-date=16 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200316011539/https://books.google.com/books?id=XGZlIvCOtFsC|url-status=live}}</ref> Note, that in Latin {{wikt-lang|la|centrum}} means "center" and {{wikt-lang|la|‑fugus}} (from {{wikt-lang|la|fugiō}}) means "fleeing, avoiding". Thus, ''centrifugus'' means "fleeing from the center" in a ].
], p. 47.


In 1673, in '']'', Huygens writes (as translated by ]):<ref>{{cite book |last1=Blackwell |first1=Richard J. |title=Christiaan Huygens' the pendulum clock, or, Geometrical demonstrations concerning the motion of pendula as applied to clocks |date=1986 |publisher=Iowa State University Press |location=Ames |isbn=978-0-8138-0933-5 |page= |url=https://archive.org/details/christiaanhuygen0000huyg}}</ref>
</ref><ref name=Signell>
<blockquote>
There is another kind of oscillation in addition to the one we have examined up to this point; namely, a motion in which a suspended weight is moved around through the circumference of a circle. From this we were led to the construction of another clock at about the same time we invented the first one. I originally intended to publish here a lengthy description of these clocks, along with matters pertaining to circular motion and '''centrifugal force'''{{efn|In Latin: ''vim centrifugam''.}}, as it might be called, a subject about which I have more to say than I am able to do at present. But, in order that those interested in these things can sooner enjoy these new and not useless speculations, and in order that their publication not be prevented by some accident, I have decided, contrary to my plan, to add this fifth part .
</blockquote>


The same year, ] received Huygens work via ] and replied "I pray you return my humble thanks I am glad we can expect another discourse of the ''vis centrifuga'', which speculation may prove of good use in ] and ], as well as ]".{{r|yoeder}}<ref>{{cite book |title=Œuvres complètes de Christiaan Huygens |volume=7 |language=French |date=1897 |location=The Hague |publisher=M. Nijhoff |page= |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/search/?title=File:Huygens_-_%C5%92uvres_compl%C3%A8tes,_Tome_7,_1897.djvu |access-date=2023-01-14 |archive-date=2023-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106055244/https://commons.wikimedia.org/search/?title=File:Huygens_-_%C5%92uvres_compl%C3%A8tes,_Tome_7,_1897.djvu |url-status=live }}</ref>
], "Acceleration and force in circular motion", §5b, p. 7.


In 1687, in '']'', Newton further develops ''vis centrifuga'' ("centrifugal force"). Around this time, the concept is also further evolved by Newton, ], and ].
</ref><ref name=Mohanty>


In the late 18th century, the modern conception of the centrifugal force evolved as a "]" arising in a rotating reference.{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}
], p. 121.</ref>


Centrifugal force has also played a role in debates in ] about detection of absolute motion. Newton suggested two arguments to answer the question of whether ] can be detected: the rotating ], and the ] argument.<ref name=Newton>An English translation is found at {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ySYULc7VEwsC&pg=PA10 |title=Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica |author= Isaac Newton |edition=Andrew Motte translation of 1729, revised by Florian Cajori |publisher=University of California Press | year=1934 |pages= 10–12|isbn=9780520009271 }}</ref> According to Newton, in each scenario the centrifugal force would be observed in the object's local frame (the frame where the object is stationary) only if the frame were rotating with respect to absolute space.
Reactive centrifugal force is used often in mechanical engineering sources that deal with internal ] in rotating solid bodies.<ref name=Roche>], "Introducing motion in a circle". Retrieved 2009-05-07.</ref> Newton's reactive centrifugal force still appears in some sources, and often is referred to as the ''centrifugal force'' rather than as the ''reactive'' centrifugal force.<ref name=Bowser>


Around 1883, ] was proposed where, instead of absolute rotation, the motion of the distant stars relative to the local inertial frame gives rise through some (hypothetical) physical law to the centrifugal force and other inertia effects. Today's view is based upon the idea of an inertial frame of reference, which privileges observers for which the laws of physics take on their simplest form, and in particular, frames that do not use centrifugal forces in their equations of motion in order to describe motions correctly.
{{cite book
| title = An elementary treatise on analytic mechanics: with numerous examples
| author = Edward Albert Bowser
| publisher = D. Van Nostrand Company
| year = 1920
| edition = 25th
| page = 357
| url = http://books.google.com/books?id=mE4GAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA357
}}


Around 1914, the analogy between centrifugal force (sometimes used to create ]) and gravitational forces led to the ] of ].<ref name=Barbour>{{Cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=fKgQ9YpAcwMC&pg=PA69 |title=Mach's principle : from Newton's bucket to quantum gravity |date=1995 |publisher=Birkhäuser |editor1=Julian B. Barbour | editor2 = Herbert Pfister | isbn =0-8176-3823-7 |location=Boston |oclc=32664808 | page = 69 }}</ref><ref name=Eriksson>{{Cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=rYW8tKzrFd4C&pg=PA194 |title=Science education in the 21st century |date=2008 |publisher = Nova Science Publishers |others=Ingrid V. Eriksson | isbn = 978-1-60021-951-1 |location=New York | oclc=165958146}}</ref>
</ref><ref name=Holton>{{cite book
| title = Physics, the human adventure: from Copernicus to Einstein and beyond
| author = Gerald James Holton and Stephen G. Brush
| publisher = Rutgers University Press
| year = 2001
| isbn = 9780813529080
| page = 126
| url = http://books.google.com/books?id=czaGZzR0XOUC&pg=PA126&dq=centrifugal-force+reaction+centripetal&lr=&as_brr=3&as_pt=ALLTYPES&ei=GCEfSs6SHJSMkQTB9t3vCA
}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
| title = A Brief Course in Elementary Dynamics
| author = Ervin Sidney Ferry
| publisher = BiblioBazaar
| year = 2008
| isbn = 9780554609843
| pages = 87–88
| url = http://books.google.com/books?id=jt1SOU8ilFgC&pg=PA87&dq=centrifugal-force+reaction+centripetal&lr=&as_brr=3&as_pt=ALLTYPES&ei=GCEfSs6SHJSMkQTB9t3vCA#PPA88,M1
}}</ref><ref name=Johnson>
{{cite book
| title = Mathematical Geography
| author = Willis Ernest Johnson
| publisher = BiblioBazaar
| year = 2009
| isbn = 9781103199587
| page = 15–16
| url = http://books.google.com/books?id=v90C1csz9tsC&pg=PA16&dq=centrifugal-force+reaction+centripetal&lr=&as_brr=3&as_pt=ALLTYPES&ei=GCEfSs6SHJSMkQTB9t3vCA
}}</ref><ref name=Avallone>


==Introduction==
{{cite book |title=Marks' standard handbook for mechanical engineers |edition=11 |author=Eugene A. Avallone, Theodore Baumeister, Ali Sadegh, Lionel Simeon Marks |page=15 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=oOKqwp3CIt8C&pg=RA1-PA15 |isbn=0071428674 |year=2006 |publisher=McGraw-Hill Professional}}
Centrifugal force is an outward force apparent in a ].<ref>{{cite book|author=Richard T. Weidner and Robert L. Sells|title=Mechanics, mechanical waves, kinetic theory, thermodynamics | date=1973 | publisher=Allyn and Bacon|page=123|edition=2}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Restuccia |first1=S. |last2=Toroš |first2=M. |last3=Gibson |first3=G. M. |last4=Ulbricht |first4=H. |last5=Faccio |first5=D. |last6=Padgett |first6=M. J. |date=2019 |title=Photon Bunching in a Rotating Reference Frame |url=https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.123.110401 |journal=Physical Review Letters |volume=123 |issue=11 |pages=110401 | doi=10.1103/physrevlett.123.110401|pmid=31573252 |arxiv=1906.03400 |bibcode=2019PhRvL.123k0401R |s2cid=182952610 }}</ref><ref name=Taylor1>{{cite book |title=Classical Mechanics |author=John Robert Taylor |page=Chapter 9, pp. 344 ff |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P1kCtNr-pJsC&pg=PP1 |isbn=978-1-891389-22-1 |publisher=University Science Books |location=Sausalito CA |year=2004 |no-pp=true |access-date=2020-11-09 |archive-date=2024-10-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007141548/https://books.google.com/books?id=P1kCtNr-pJsC&pg=PP1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kobayashi|first1=Yukio|title=Remarks on viewing situation in a rotating frame|journal=European Journal of Physics|date=2008|volume=29|issue=3|pages=599–606|doi=10.1088/0143-0807/29/3/019|bibcode=2008EJPh...29..599K|s2cid=120947179 }}</ref> It does not exist when a system is described relative to an ].


All measurements of position and velocity must be made relative to some frame of reference. For example, an analysis of the motion of an object in an airliner in flight could be made relative to the airliner, to the surface of the Earth, or even to the Sun.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/stargaze/Sframes1.htm|title=Frames of Reference: The Basics|year=2006|publisher=Goddard Space Flight Center Space Physics Data Facility|access-date=20 April 2017|author=David P. Stern|work=From Stargazers to Starships|archive-date=6 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406211413/https://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/stargaze/Sframes1.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> A reference frame that is at rest (or one that moves with no rotation and at constant velocity) relative to the "]" is generally taken to be an inertial frame. Any system can be analyzed in an inertial frame (and so with no centrifugal force). However, it is often more convenient to describe a rotating system by using a rotating frame—the calculations are simpler, and descriptions more intuitive. When this choice is made, fictitious forces, including the centrifugal force, arise.<!-- should we mention ] here? -->
</ref><ref name=Oxford>


In a reference frame rotating about an axis through its origin, all objects, regardless of their state of motion, appear to be under the influence of a radially (from the axis of rotation) outward force that is proportional to their mass, to the distance from the axis of rotation of the frame, and to the square of the ] of the frame.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url = https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/102850/centrifuge|encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica|title = Centrifuge|date = April 30, 2015|access-date = June 2, 2022|archive-date = October 7, 2024|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20241007141550/https://www.britannica.com/technology/centrifuge|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/I_12.html#Ch12-S5-p2 |title=The Feynman Lectures on Physics Vol. I Ch. 12: Characteristics of Force |access-date=2022-05-07 |archive-date=2024-10-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007141549/https://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/I_12.html#Ch12-S5-p2 |url-status=live }}</ref> This is the centrifugal force. As humans usually experience centrifugal force from within the rotating reference frame, e.g. on a merry-go-round or vehicle, this is much more well-known than centripetal force.
{{cite book |title=Oxford dictionary of biochemistry and molecular biology |page=109 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=XpUjsqD7lFUC&pg=PA109 |author=Richard Cammack, Anthony Donald Smith, Teresa K. Attwood, Peter Campbell |edition=2 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2006 |isbn=0198529171}}
</ref><ref name=Angelo>


Motion relative to a rotating frame results in another fictitious force: the ]. If the rate of rotation of the frame changes, a third fictitious force (the ]) is required. These fictitious forces are necessary for the formulation of correct equations of motion in a rotating reference frame<ref name=Fetter/><ref name=Marsden>{{cite book | title=Introduction to Mechanics and Symmetry: A Basic Exposition of Classical Mechanical Systems | author1=Jerrold E. Marsden | author2=Tudor S. Ratiu | isbn=978-0-387-98643-2 | year=1999 | publisher=Springer | page=251 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I2gH9ZIs-3AC&pg=PA251 | access-date=2020-11-09 | archive-date=2024-10-07 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007141657/https://books.google.com/books?id=I2gH9ZIs-3AC&pg=PA251#v=onepage&q&f=false | url-status=live }}</ref> and allow Newton's laws to be used in their normal form in such a frame (with one exception: the fictitious forces do not obey Newton's third law: they have no equal and opposite counterparts).<ref name=Fetter>{{cite book | title=Theoretical Mechanics of Particles and Continua | author1=Alexander L. Fetter|author-link1=Alexander L. Fetter | author2=John Dirk Walecka | author-link2=John Dirk Walecka | year=2003 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=olMpStYOlnoC&pg=PA39 | publisher = Courier Dover Publications | isbn=978-0-486-43261-8 | pages=38–39 }}</ref> Newton's third law requires the counterparts to exist within the same frame of reference, hence centrifugal and centripetal force, which do not, are not action and reaction (as is sometimes erroneously contended).
{{cite book |title=Robotics: a reference guide to the new technology |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=73kNFV4sDx8C&pg=PA267 |page=267 |author=Joseph A. Angelo |isbn=1573563374 |year=2007 |publisher=Greenwood Press}}


==Examples==
</ref><ref name=Lees>
=== Vehicle driving round a curve ===
A common experience that gives rise to the idea of a centrifugal force is encountered by passengers riding in a vehicle, such as a car, that is changing direction. If a car is traveling at a constant speed along a straight road, then a passenger inside is not accelerating and, according to ], the net force acting on them is therefore zero (all forces acting on them cancel each other out). If the car enters a curve that bends to the left, the passenger experiences an apparent force that seems to be pulling them towards the right. This is the fictitious centrifugal force. It is needed within the passengers' local frame of reference to explain their sudden tendency to start accelerating to the right relative to the car—a tendency which they must resist by applying a rightward force to the car (for instance, a frictional force against the seat) in order to remain in a fixed position inside. Since they push the seat toward the right, Newton's third law says that the seat pushes them towards the left. The centrifugal force must be included in the passenger's reference frame (in which the passenger remains at rest): it counteracts the leftward force applied to the passenger by the seat, and explains why this otherwise unbalanced force does not cause them to accelerate.<ref name="EB">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/science/centrifugal-force |title=Centrifugal force |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica |date=17 August 2016 |access-date=20 April 2017 |archive-date=21 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421011514/https://www.britannica.com/science/centrifugal-force |url-status=live }}</ref> However, it would be apparent to a stationary observer watching from an overpass above that the frictional force exerted on the passenger by the seat is not being balanced; it constitutes a net force to the left, causing the passenger to accelerate toward the inside of the curve, as they must in order to keep moving with the car rather than proceeding in a straight line as they otherwise would. Thus the "centrifugal force" they feel is the result of a "centrifugal tendency" caused by inertia.<ref name="Science of Everyday Things">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/ScienceOfEverydayThingsVol2-RealLifePhysics/ScienceOfEverydayThingsVol.2-Physics365s-o#page/n49/mode/2up/search/Centrifugal+force |title=Centripetal Force |work=Science of Everyday Things, Volume 2: Real-Life Physics |page=47 |editor-first=Neil |editor-last=Schlager |author-first=Judson |author-last=Knight |year=2016 |publisher=Thomson Learning |access-date=19 April 2017}}</ref> Similar effects are encountered in aeroplanes and ]s where the magnitude of the apparent force is often reported in "]".


===Stone on a string===
{{cite book |title=Sport and exercise biomechanics |author=P. Grimshaw, A. Lees, N. Fowler, A. Burden |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ZjvIBfCVpzgC&pg=PA176 |page=176 |year=2006 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=185996284X}}</ref><ref name= Steele>
If a stone is whirled round on a string, in a horizontal plane, the only real force acting on the stone in the horizontal plane is applied by the string (gravity acts vertically). There is a net force on the stone in the horizontal plane which acts toward the center.


In an ], were it not for this net force acting on the stone, the stone would travel in a straight line, according to ]. In order to keep the stone moving in a circular path, a ], in this case provided by the string, must be continuously applied to the stone. As soon as it is removed (for example if the string breaks) the stone moves in a straight line, as viewed from above. In this inertial frame, the concept of centrifugal force is not required as all motion can be properly described using only real forces and Newton's laws of motion.
{{cite book |title=Popular Physics |year=2008 |author=Joel Dorman Steele |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Fho7X_xzmQUC&pg=PA31 |page=31 |isbn=1408691345 |publisher=READ books |edition = Reprint }}</ref>


In a frame of reference rotating with the stone around the same axis as the stone, the stone is stationary. However, the force applied by the string is still acting on the stone. If one were to apply Newton's laws in their usual (inertial frame) form, one would conclude that the stone should accelerate in the direction of the net applied force—towards the axis of rotation—which it does not do. The centrifugal force and other fictitious forces must be included along with the real forces in order to apply Newton's laws of motion in the rotating frame.
The concept of the reactive centrifugal force originated with Isaac Newton.<ref name="Linton285">], p. 285.</ref>
When the ] mutually attracted by gravitation is considered, it can be transformed using ] to an equivalent one-body problem attracted to the ] of the two bodies. The centrifugal force then appears as a radially outward inverse cube law term in the planetary orbital equation.<ref name=Taylor306>See Eq. 8.37 in
{{cite book |author=John R Taylor |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=P1kCtNr-pJsC&pg=PA306 |page=306 |title=Classical Mechanics |publisher=University Science Books |isbn=189138922X |year=2005}}
</ref><ref name="Linton285">], p. 285.</ref><ref name=Goldstein3_12> Herbert Goldstein 'Classical Mechanics', equation 3-12</ref> The radial equation then becomes:
::<math>\mu \ddot r = -k/r^{2} + \frac{\ell^{2}}{\mu r^{3}} \ ,</math>
where the variable ''r'' is the radial distance from the barycenter to the equivalent single body, ''ℓ'' is the (fixed) ], μ is the ], and ''k'' is a parameter related to the force of gravity. The solutions of this equation yield orbits that are either elliptical, parabolic, or hyperbolic, depending on the initial energy and angular momentum. The solution is not unique until the values of ''r'' and ''dr / dt'' are specified at some particular time ''t''.<ref name=Taylor299>
See, for example, Eq. 8.20 in {{cite book |author=John R Taylor |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=P1kCtNr-pJsC&pg=PA299 |pages=299 ''ff'' |title=op. cit. |isbn=189138922X |year=2005}}
</ref>


===Earth===
This is essentially the approach of ]. However, when Newton saw Leibniz's equation he objected to it on the grounds that the inverse cube law term implied that the centrifugal force could be different in value from the centripetal force. Newton argued that it followed from his third law of motion that the centrifugal force must be an equal and opposite reaction to the centripetal force. Nevertheless, it is the Leibniz equation which is used today to solve planetary orbital problems.
The ] constitutes a rotating reference frame because it rotates ] around its axis. Because the rotation is slow, the fictitious forces it produces are often small, and in everyday situations can generally be neglected. Even in calculations requiring high precision, the centrifugal force is generally not explicitly included, but rather lumped in with the ]: the strength and direction of the local "]" at any point on the Earth's surface is actually a combination of gravitational and centrifugal forces. However, the fictitious forces can be of arbitrary size. For example, in an Earth-bound reference system (where the earth is represented as stationary), the fictitious force (the net of Coriolis and centrifugal forces) is enormous and is responsible for the ] orbiting around the Earth. This is due to the large mass and velocity of the Sun (relative to the Earth).


====Weight of an object at the poles and on the equator====
The reactive aspect of centrifugal force can be seen if we were to attach a string between two planets when they are in the mutually outward stage of their orbit. The centrifugal force will pull the string taut. The tension in the string will then cause an inward acting centripetal force to act on the planets. If the string does not snap, we will end up with a circular motion with the centripetal force being equal and opposite to the centrifugal force. However, since these two forces will be acting on the same body, they do not constitute an action-reaction pair.
If an object is weighed with a simple ] at one of the Earth's poles, there are two forces acting on the object: the Earth's gravity, which acts in a downward direction, and the equal and opposite ] in the spring, acting upward. Since the object is stationary and not accelerating, there is no net force acting on the object and the force from the spring is equal in magnitude to the force of gravity on the object. In this case, the balance shows the value of the force of gravity on the object.


When the same object is weighed on the ], the same two real forces act upon the object. However, the object is moving in a circular path as the Earth rotates and therefore experiencing a centripetal acceleration. When considered in an inertial frame (that is to say, one that is not rotating with the Earth), the non-zero acceleration means that force of gravity will not balance with the force from the spring. In order to have a net centripetal force, the magnitude of the restoring force of the spring must be less than the magnitude of force of gravity. This reduced restoring force in the spring is reflected on the scale as less weight — about 0.3% less at the equator than at the poles.<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150117191330/http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=310 |date=January 17, 2015 }}, Cornell University, retrieved June 2007</ref> In the Earth reference frame (in which the object being weighed is at rest), the object does not appear to be accelerating; however, the two real forces, gravity and the force from the spring, are the same magnitude and do not balance. The centrifugal force must be included to make the sum of the forces be zero to match the apparent lack of acceleration.
==Fictitious centrifugal force==


<small>
{{main|Centrifugal force (rotating reference frame)}}
'''Note:''' ''In fact, the observed weight difference is more — about 0.53%. Earth's gravity is a bit stronger at the poles than at the equator, because the Earth is ], so an object at the poles is slightly closer to the center of the Earth than one at the equator; this effect combines with the centrifugal force to produce the observed weight difference.''<ref name="Boynton">{{cite conference | first=Richard | last=Boynton | title=Precise Measurement of Mass | book-title=Sawe Paper No. 3147 | publisher=S.A.W.E., Inc. | date=2001 | location=Arlington, Texas | url=http://www.space-electronics.com/Literature/Precise_Measurement_of_Mass.PDF | access-date=2007-01-21 | conference= | archive-date=2007-02-27 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070227132140/http://www.space-electronics.com/Literature/Precise_Measurement_of_Mass.PDF | url-status=dead }}</ref>
</small>


== Derivation ==
Nowadays, centrifugal force is most commonly introduced as a force associated with describing motion in a non-inertial ], and referred to as a ''fictitious'' or ''inertial'' force (a description that must be understood as a technical usage of these words that means only that the force is not present in a stationary or ]).<ref>], p. 248.</ref><ref>], p. 80.</ref> There are three contexts in which the concept of the fictitious force arises when describing motion using Newtonian mechanics.<ref name=Bini1997>Bini, D. et al. (1997). "The intrinsic derivative and centrifugal forces in general relativity: I. Theoretical foundations". ''International Journal of Modern Physics D'' '''6''' (1)</ref> In the first context, the motion is described relative to a ] about a fixed axis at the origin of the coordinate system. For observations made in the rotating frame, all objects appear to be under the influence of a radially outward force that is proportional to the distance from the axis of rotation and to the rate of rotation of the frame. The second context is similar, and describes the motion using an accelerated local reference frame attached to a moving body, for example, the frame of passengers in a car as it rounds a corner.<ref name=Bini1997/> In this case, rotation is again involved, this time about the center of curvature of the path of the moving body. In both these contexts, the centrifugal force is zero when the rate of rotation of the reference frame is zero, independent of the motions of objects in the frame.<ref name=Fetter>], pp. 38-39.</ref>
{{Main|Rotating reference frame}}
{{See also|Fictitious force}}


For the following formalism, the ] is regarded as a special case of a ] that is rotating relative to an inertial reference frame denoted the stationary frame.
The third context is related to the use of generalized coordinates as is done in the Lagrangian formulation of mechanics, discussed below. Here the term "centrifugal force" is an abbreviated substitute for "generalized centrifugal force", which in general has little connection with the Newtonian concept of centrifugal force.


=== Time derivatives in a rotating frame ===
If objects are seen as moving from a rotating frame, this movement results in another fictitious force, the ]; and if the rate of rotation of the frame is changing, a third fictitious force, the ] is experienced. Together, these three ] allow for the creation of correct equations of motion in a rotating reference frame.<ref name=Fetter>], pp. 38-39.</ref>
In a rotating frame of reference, the time derivatives of any vector function {{math|'''''P'''''}} of time—such as the velocity and acceleration vectors of an object—will differ from its time derivatives in the stationary frame. If {{math|''P''<sub>1</sub> ''P''<sub>2</sub>, ''P''<sub>3</sub>}} are the components of {{math|'''''P'''''}} with respect to unit vectors {{math|'''''i''''', '''''j''''', '''''k'''''}} directed along the axes of the rotating frame (i.e. {{math|1='''''P''''' = ''P''<sub>1</sub> '''''i''''' + ''P''<sub>2</sub> '''''j''''' +''P''<sub>3</sub> '''''k'''''}}), then the first time derivative {{math|}} of {{math|'''''P'''''}} with respect to the rotating frame is, by definition, {{math|d''P''<sub>1</sub>/d''t'' '''''i''''' + d''P''<sub>2</sub>/d''t'' '''''j''''' + d''P''<sub>3</sub>/d''t'' '''''k'''''}}. If the absolute ] of the rotating frame is {{mvar|'''ω'''}} then the derivative {{math|d'''''P'''''/d''t''}} of {{math|'''''P'''''}} with respect to the stationary frame is related to {{math|}} by the equation:<ref name=Synge> {{cite book |title=Principles of Mechanics |edition=Reprint of Second Edition of 1942 |author1=John L. Synge |author2=Byron A. Griffith |url=https://archive.org/stream/principlesofmech031468mbp#page/n342/mode/1up |page=347 |isbn=978-1-4067-4670-9 |publisher=Read Books |year=2007 }}</ref>
<math display="block">\frac{\mathrm{d}\boldsymbol{P}}{\mathrm{d}t} = \left + \boldsymbol{\omega} \times \boldsymbol{P}\ ,</math>
where <math>\times</math> denotes the ]. In other words, the rate of change of {{mvar|'''P'''}} in the stationary frame is the sum of its apparent rate of change in the rotating frame and a rate of rotation <math>\boldsymbol{\omega} \times \boldsymbol{P}</math> attributable to the motion of the rotating frame. The vector {{mvar|'''ω'''}} has magnitude {{mvar|ω}} equal to the rate of rotation and is directed along the axis of rotation according to the ].


== Comparative Table== === Acceleration ===
Newton's law of motion for a particle of mass {{mvar|m}} written in vector form is:
<math display="block">\boldsymbol{F} = m\boldsymbol{a}\ ,</math>
where {{mvar|'''F'''}} is the vector sum of the physical forces applied to the particle and {{mvar|'''a'''}} is the absolute ] (that is, acceleration in an inertial frame) of the particle, given by:
<math display="block"> \boldsymbol{a}=\frac{\mathrm{d}^2\boldsymbol{r}}{\mathrm{d}t^2} \ , </math>
where {{mvar|'''r'''}} is the position vector of the particle (not to be confused with radius, as used above.)


By applying the transformation above from the stationary to the rotating frame three times (twice to <math display="inline">\frac{\mathrm{d}\boldsymbol{r}}{\mathrm{d}t}</math> and once to <math display="inline"> \frac{\mathrm{d}}{\mathrm{d}t}\left</math>), the absolute acceleration of the particle can be written as:
The table below compares various facets of the concepts of centrifugal force.
<math display="block">\begin{align}
{| class="wikitable" align="center"
\boldsymbol{a} &=\frac{\mathrm{d}^2\boldsymbol{r}}{\mathrm{d}t^2} = \frac{\mathrm{d}}{\mathrm{d}t}\frac{\mathrm{d}\boldsymbol{r}}{\mathrm{d}t} = \frac{\mathrm{d}}{\mathrm{d}t} \left( \left + \boldsymbol{\omega} \times \boldsymbol{r}\ \right) \\
|
&= \left + \boldsymbol{\omega}\times \left + \frac{\mathrm{d} \boldsymbol{\omega}}{\mathrm{d}t}\times\boldsymbol{r} + \boldsymbol{\omega} \times \frac{\mathrm{d}\boldsymbol{r}}{\mathrm{d}t} \\
! align=center| Reactive centrifugal force
&= \left + \boldsymbol{\omega}\times \left + \frac{\mathrm{d} \boldsymbol{\omega}}{\mathrm{d}t}\times\boldsymbol{r} + \boldsymbol{\omega} \times
! align=center| Fictitious centrifugal force
\left( \left + \boldsymbol{\omega} \times \boldsymbol{r}\ \right) \\
! align=center| Inertial path/Polar coordinates
&= \left + \frac{\mathrm{d} \boldsymbol{\omega}}{\mathrm{d}t}\times\boldsymbol{r} + 2 \boldsymbol{\omega}\times \left + \boldsymbol{\omega}\times ( \boldsymbol{\omega} \times \boldsymbol{r}) \ .
|-
\end{align}</math>
! align=center| Reference<br>frame
| align=center| Any
| align=center| Rotating frames
| align=center| Inertial Frame
|-
! align=center| Exerted<br>&ensp; ''by''
| align=center| Bodies moving in<br>circular paths
| align=center|Acts as if emanating<br>from the rotation axis,<br>but no real source
| align=center|Acts as if emanating<br>from any arbitrarily chosen rotation axis,<br>
|-
! align=center| Exerted <br>&ensp; ''upon''
| align=center| The object(s) ''causing''<br>the curved motion, ''not'' upon<br>the body in curved motion
| align=center| All bodies, moving or not;<br>if moving, ]<br> also is present
| align=center| All bodies in motion.
|-
|-
! align=center| Direction
| align=center| Opposite to the<br>centripetal force</br>causing curved path
| align=center| Away from rotation axis,<br>regardless of path of body
| align=center| Away from rotation axis
|-
! align=center| Analysis
| align=center| ]: <br>related to<br>centripetal force
| align=center| ]:<br>included as force in <br>Newton's laws of motion
| align=center| Shows up when Nerwton's laws are written in polar coordinates
|}


=== Force ===
==Lagrangian formulation of centrifugal force==
The apparent acceleration in the rotating frame is <math> \left </math>. An observer unaware of the rotation would expect this to be zero in the absence of outside forces. However, Newton's laws of motion apply only in the inertial frame and describe dynamics in terms of the absolute acceleration <math> \frac{\mathrm d^2\boldsymbol{r} }{\mathrm dt^2} </math>. Therefore, the observer perceives the extra terms as contributions due to fictitious forces. These terms in the apparent acceleration are independent of mass; so it appears that each of these fictitious forces, like gravity, pulls on an object in proportion to its mass. When these forces are added, the equation of motion has the form:<ref>Taylor (2005). p. 342.</ref><ref name=L&L_A>{{cite book |title=Mechanics |author1=LD Landau |author2=LM Lifshitz |page=128 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e-xASAehg1sC&pg=PA40 |edition=Third |year=1976 |isbn=978-0-7506-2896-9 |publisher=Butterworth-Heinemann |location=Oxford |access-date=2020-11-09 |archive-date=2024-10-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007141549/https://books.google.com/books?id=e-xASAehg1sC&pg=PA40#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Hand_A>{{cite book |title=Analytical Mechanics |author1=Louis N. Hand |author2=Janet D. Finch |page=267 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1J2hzvX2Xh8C&q=Hand+inauthor:Finch&pg=PA267 |isbn=978-0-521-57572-0 |publisher=] |year=1998 |access-date=2020-11-09 |archive-date=2024-10-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007141658/https://books.google.com/books?id=1J2hzvX2Xh8C&q=Hand+inauthor:Finch&pg=PA267 |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{seealso|Lagrangian|Mechanics of planar particle motion}}
<math display="block">\boldsymbol{F} + \underbrace{\left(-m\frac{\mathrm{d} \boldsymbol{\omega}}{\mathrm{d}t}\times\boldsymbol{r}\right)}_{\text{Euler}} + \underbrace{\left(-2m \boldsymbol{\omega}\times \left\right)}_{\text{Coriolis}} + \underbrace{\left(-m\boldsymbol{\omega}\times (\boldsymbol{\omega}\times \boldsymbol{r})\right)}_{\text{centrifugal}} = m\left \ .</math>


From the perspective of the rotating frame, the additional force terms are experienced just like the real external forces and contribute to the apparent acceleration.<ref name=Silverman>{{cite book | title = A universe of atoms, an atom in the universe | author = Mark P Silverman | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=-Er5pIsYe_AC&pg=PA249 | page = 249 | isbn = 978-0-387-95437-0 | year = 2002 | publisher = Springer | edition = 2 | access-date = 2020-11-09 | archive-date = 2024-10-07 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20241007142053/https://books.google.com/books?id=-Er5pIsYe_AC&pg=PA249#v=onepage&q&f=false | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>Taylor (2005). p. 329.</ref> The additional terms on the force side of the equation can be recognized as, reading from left to right, the ] <math>-m \mathrm{d}\boldsymbol{\omega}/\mathrm{d}t \times\boldsymbol{r}</math>, the ] <math>-2m \boldsymbol{\omega}\times \left</math>, and the centrifugal force <math>-m\boldsymbol{\omega}\times (\boldsymbol{\omega}\times \boldsymbol{r})</math>, respectively.<ref name=Lanczos_A>{{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ZWoYYr8wk2IC&pg=PA103 | title=The Variational Principles of Mechanics | author=Cornelius Lanczos | year=1986 | isbn=978-0-486-65067-8 | publisher=Dover Publications | edition=Reprint of Fourth Edition of 1970 | at = Chapter 4, §5 | no-pp=true }}</ref> Unlike the other two fictitious forces, the centrifugal force always points radially outward from the axis of rotation of the rotating frame, with magnitude <math>m\omega^2r_\perp</math>, where <math>r_\perp</math> is the component of the position vector perpendicular to <math>\boldsymbol{\omega}</math>, and unlike the Coriolis force in particular, it is independent of the motion of the particle in the rotating frame. As expected, for a non-rotating inertial frame of reference <math>(\boldsymbol\omega=0)</math> the centrifugal force and all other fictitious forces disappear.<ref name=Tavel>{{cite book | title=Contemporary Physics and the Limits of Knowledge | page=93 | quote=Noninertial forces, like centrifugal and Coriolis forces, can be eliminated by jumping into a reference frame that moves with constant velocity, the frame that Newton called inertial. | author=Morton Tavel | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SELS0HbIhjYC&q=Einstein+equivalence+laws+physics+frame&pg=PA95 | isbn=978-0-8135-3077-2 | publisher=] | year=2002 | access-date=2020-11-09 | archive-date=2024-10-07 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007142054/https://books.google.com/books?id=SELS0HbIhjYC&q=Einstein+equivalence+laws+physics+frame&pg=PA95#v=snippet&q=Einstein%20equivalence%20laws%20physics%20frame&f=false | url-status=live }}</ref> Similarly, as the centrifugal force is proportional to the distance from object to the axis of rotation of the frame, the centrifugal force vanishes for objects that lie upon the axis.
] formulates mechanics in terms of ] {''q<sub>k</sub>''}, which can be as simple as the usual polar coordinates (''r, θ'') or a much more extensive list of variables.<ref name=Lanczos>


== Absolute rotation ==
For an introduction see, for example, {{cite book |isbn=0486650677 |title=The variational principles of mechanics |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ZWoYYr8wk2IC&pg=PR4&dq=isbn:0486650677#PPR21,M1 |publisher=Dover |edition=4 |page=1 |author=Cornelius Lanczos |year=1986 |edition=Reprint of 1970 University of Toronto }}
] liquids rotating around a vertical axis is an upward-opening circular paraboloid.]]
]
{{Main|Absolute rotation}}
Three scenarios were suggested by Newton to answer the question of whether the absolute rotation of a local frame can be detected; that is, if an observer can decide whether an observed object is rotating or if the observer is rotating.<ref>{{cite book | title = Analytical Mechanics |page = 324 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=1J2hzvX2Xh8C&pg=PA324 | isbn = 978-0-521-57572-0 | publisher = Cambridge University Press |year=1998 | author1 = Louis N. Hand |author2=Janet D. Finch }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | title = The Cambridge companion to Newton | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=3wIzvqzfUXkC&pg=PA43 | author1 = I. Bernard Cohen | author2 = George Edwin Smith | page = 43 | isbn=978-0-521-65696-2 | year=2002 | publisher=Cambridge University Press }}</ref>


* The shape of the surface of water ]. The shape of the surface becomes concave to balance the centrifugal force against the other forces upon the liquid.
</ref><ref name=Shabana1>
* The tension in a string joining two ] about their center of mass. The tension in the string will be proportional to the centrifugal force on each sphere as it rotates around the common center of mass.


In these scenarios, the effects attributed to centrifugal force are only observed in the local frame (the frame in which the object is stationary) if the object is undergoing absolute rotation relative to an inertial frame. By contrast, in an inertial frame, the observed effects arise as a consequence of the inertia and the known forces without the need to introduce a centrifugal force. Based on this argument, the privileged frame, wherein the laws of physics take on the simplest form, is a stationary frame in which no fictitious forces need to be invoked.
For a description of generalized coordinates, see {{cite book |author= Ahmed A. Shabana |edition=2 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |title=Dynamics of Multibody Systems |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=zxuG-l7J5rgC&printsec=frontcover#PPA90,M1 |page=90 ''ff'' |chapter=Generalized coordinates and kinematic constraints |year=2003 |isbn=0521544114}}


Within this view of physics, any other phenomenon that is usually attributed to centrifugal force can be used to identify absolute rotation. For example, the oblateness of a sphere of freely flowing material is often explained in terms of centrifugal force. The ] shape reflects, following ], the balance between containment by gravitational attraction and dispersal by centrifugal force. That the Earth is itself an oblate spheroid, bulging at the equator where the radial distance and hence the centrifugal force is larger, is taken as one of the evidences for its absolute rotation.<ref>{{cite book |title=Popular astronomy |url=https://archive.org/details/popularastronomy1878newc |author=Simon Newcomb |pages=&ndash;88 |year=1878 |publisher=Harper & Brothers}}</ref>
</ref> Within this formulation the motion is described in terms of '']'', using in place of ] the ]. Among the generalized forces, those involving the square of the time derivatives {(d''q<sub>k</sub>/''d''t'')<sup>2</sup>} are called '''centrifugal forces'''.<ref name=Ott>


== Applications ==
{{cite book |title=Cartesian Impedance Control of Redundant and Flexible-Joint Robots |author=Christian Ott |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=wKQvUfwzqjAC&pg=PA23 |page=23 |isbn=3540692533 |year=2008 |publisher=Springer}}
The operations of numerous common rotating mechanical systems are most easily conceptualized in terms of centrifugal force. For example:


* A ] regulates the speed of an engine by using spinning masses that move radially, adjusting the ], as the engine changes speed. In the reference frame of the spinning masses, centrifugal force causes the radial movement.
</ref><ref name=Ge>
* A ] is used in small engine-powered devices such as chain saws, go-karts and model helicopters. It allows the engine to start and idle without driving the device but automatically and smoothly engages the drive as the engine speed rises. ] used in ] and the ] used in many automobile seat belts operate on the same principle.
* Centrifugal forces can be used to generate ], as in proposed designs for rotating space stations. The ] would have studied the effects of ]-level gravity on mice with gravity simulated in this way.
* ] and ] are production methods that use centrifugal force to disperse liquid metal or plastic throughout the negative space of a mold.
* ]s are used in science and industry to separate substances. In the reference frame spinning with the centrifuge, the centrifugal force induces a hydrostatic pressure gradient in fluid-filled tubes oriented perpendicular to the axis of rotation, giving rise to large ]s which push low-density particles inward. Elements or particles denser than the fluid move outward under the influence of the centrifugal force. This is effectively ] as generated by centrifugal force as opposed to being generated by gravity.
* Some ]s make use of centrifugal forces. For instance, a ]'s spin forces riders against a wall and allows riders to be elevated above the machine's floor in defiance of Earth's gravity.<ref>{{cite book |title=The basics of physics |first1=Rusty L. |last1=Myers |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-313-32857-2 |page= |url=https://archive.org/details/basicsofphysics0000myer|url-access=registration }}</ref>


Nevertheless, all of these systems can also be described without requiring the concept of centrifugal force, in terms of motions and forces in a stationary frame, at the cost of taking somewhat more care in the consideration of forces and motions within the system.
{{cite book |title=Adaptive Neural Network Control of Robotic Manipulators |author=Shuzhi S. Ge, Tong Heng Lee, Christopher John Harris |isbn=981023452X |publisher=World Scientific |year=1998 |page=pp. 47-48 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=cdBENqlY_ucC&printsec=frontcover&dq=CHristoffel+centrifugal&lr=&as_brr=0#PPA47,M1 |quote = In the above ], there are three types of terms. The first involves the second derivative of the generalized co-ordinates. The second is quadratic in <math>\boldsymbol{\dot q}</math> where the coefficients may depend on <math>\boldsymbol{q}</math>. These are further classified into two types. Terms involving a product of the type <math>{\dot q_i}^2</math> are called ''centrifugal forces'' while those involving a product of the type <math>\dot q_i \dot q_j</math> for ''i ≠ j'' are called ''Coriolis forces''. The third type is functions of <math>\boldsymbol{q}</math> only and are called ''gravitational forces''. }}


==Other uses of the term==
</ref>


While the majority of the scientific literature uses the term ''centrifugal force'' to refer to the particular fictitious force that arises in rotating frames, there are a few limited instances in the literature of the term applied to other distinct physical concepts.
The Lagrangian approach to polar coordinates that treats (''r, θ'' ) as generalized coordinates, <math>(\dot r, \ \dot \theta )</math> as generalized velocities and <math>(\ddot r, \ \ddot \theta) </math> as generalized accelerations, is outlined ], and found in many sources.<ref name=Taylor299>


===In Lagrangian mechanics===
See, for example, Eq. 8.20 in {{cite book |author=John R Taylor |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=P1kCtNr-pJsC&pg=PA299 |pages=299 ''ff'' |title=op. cit. |isbn=189138922X |year=2005}}
One of these instances occurs in ]. Lagrangian mechanics formulates mechanics in terms of ] {''q<sub>k</sub>''}, which can be as simple as the usual polar coordinates <math>(r,\ \theta)</math> or a much more extensive list of variables.<ref name=Lanczos>For an introduction, see for example {{cite book |isbn=978-0-486-65067-8 |title=The variational principles of mechanics |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZWoYYr8wk2IC&pg=PR4 |publisher=Dover |edition=Reprint of 1970 University of Toronto |page=1 |author=Cornelius Lanczos |year=1986 |access-date=2020-11-09 |archive-date=2024-10-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007142120/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZWoYYr8wk2IC&pg=PR4 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Shabana1>For a description of generalized coordinates, see {{cite book |author=Ahmed A. Shabana |edition=2 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |title=Dynamics of Multibody Systems |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zxuG-l7J5rgC |page=90 ''ff'' |chapter=Generalized coordinates and kinematic constraints |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-521-54411-5 |access-date=2020-11-09 |archive-date=2024-10-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007142055/https://books.google.com/books?id=zxuG-l7J5rgC |url-status=live }}</ref> Within this formulation the motion is described in terms of '']'', using in place of ] the ]. Among the generalized forces, those involving the square of the time derivatives {(d''q<sub>k</sub>''  ⁄ d''t'' )<sup>2</sup>} are sometimes called centrifugal forces.<ref name=Ott>{{cite book |title=Cartesian Impedance Control of Redundant and Flexible-Joint Robots |author=Christian Ott |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wKQvUfwzqjAC&pg=PA23 |page=23 |isbn=978-3-540-69253-9 |year=2008 |publisher=Springer |access-date=2020-11-09 |archive-date=2024-10-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007142219/https://books.google.com/books?id=wKQvUfwzqjAC&pg=PA23#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Ge">{{cite book |title=Adaptive Neural Network Control of Robotic Manipulators |author1=Shuzhi S. Ge |author2=Tong Heng Lee |author3=Christopher John Harris |isbn=978-981-02-3452-2 |publisher=World Scientific |year=1998 |pages=47–48 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cdBENqlY_ucC&q=CHristoffel+centrifugal |quote = In the above ], there are three types of terms. The first involves the second derivative of the generalized co-ordinates. The second is quadratic in <math>\boldsymbol{\dot q}</math> where the coefficients may depend on <math>\boldsymbol{q}</math>. These are further classified into two types. Terms involving a product of the type <math>{\dot q_i}^2</math> are called ''centrifugal forces'' while those involving a product of the type <math>\dot q_i \dot q_j</math> for ''i ≠ j'' are called ''Coriolis forces''. The third type is functions of <math>\boldsymbol{q}</math> only and are called ''gravitational forces''.}}</ref><ref name=Nagrath>{{cite book |title=Robotics and Control |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZtwMEQzMVlMC&pg=PA202 |page=202 |author1=R. K. Mittal |author2=I. J. Nagrath |isbn=978-0-07-048293-7 |year=2003 |publisher=Tata McGraw-Hill |access-date=2020-11-09 |archive-date=2024-10-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007142204/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZtwMEQzMVlMC&pg=PA202 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Toda">{{cite book |title=Geometrical Structures Of Phase Space In Multi-dimensional Chaos: Applications to chemical reaction dynamics in complex systems |author1=T Yanao |author2=K Takatsuka |chapter=Effects of an intrinsic metric of molecular internal space |editor1=Mikito Toda |editor2=Tamiki Komatsuzaki |editor3=Stuart A. Rice |editor4=Tetsuro Konishi |editor5=R. Stephen Berry |quote=As is evident from the first terms ..., which are proportional to the square of <math>\dot\phi</math>, a kind of "centrifugal force" arises ... We call this force "democratic centrifugal force". Of course, DCF is different from the ordinary centrifugal force, and it arises even in a system of zero angular momentum. |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2M4qIUTITI0C&pg=PA98 |page=98 |isbn=978-0-471-71157-5 |publisher=Wiley |year=2005 |access-date=2020-11-09 |archive-date=2024-10-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007142108/https://books.google.com/books?id=2M4qIUTITI0C&pg=PA98 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the case of motion in a central potential the Lagrangian centrifugal force has the same form as the fictitious centrifugal force derived in a co-rotating frame.<ref name=Bini1997>See p. 5 in {{cite journal |title=The intrinsic derivative and centrifugal forces in general relativity: I. Theoretical foundations |author1=Donato Bini |author2=Paolo Carini |author3=Robert T Jantzen |journal=International Journal of Modern Physics D |volume=6 |year=1997 |arxiv=gr-qc/0106014v1 |issue=1 |pages=143–198 |bibcode=1997IJMPD...6..143B |doi=10.1142/S021827189700011X |s2cid=10652293 |url=https://cds.cern.ch/record/503373 |type=Submitted manuscript }}. The companion paper is {{cite journal |title=The intrinsic derivative and centrifugal forces in general relativity: II. Applications to circular orbits in some stationary axisymmetric spacetimes |author1=Donato Bini |author2=Paolo Carini |author3=Robert T Jantzen |journal=International Journal of Modern Physics D |volume=6 |year=1997 |arxiv=gr-qc/0106014v1 |issue=1 |pages=143–198 |bibcode=1997IJMPD...6..143B |doi=10.1142/S021827189700011X |s2cid=10652293 |url=https://cds.cern.ch/record/503373 |type=Submitted manuscript |access-date=2023-06-21 |archive-date=2021-04-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429005245/http://cds.cern.ch/record/503373 |url-status=live }}</ref> However, the Lagrangian use of "centrifugal force" in other, more general cases has only a limited connection to the Newtonian definition.


===As a reactive force===
</ref><ref name=Hildebrand>
In another instance the term refers to the ] ] to a centripetal force, or ]. A body undergoing curved motion, such as ], is accelerating toward a center at any particular point in time. This ] is provided by a centripetal force, which is exerted on the body in curved motion by some other body. In accordance with ], the body in curved motion exerts an equal and opposite force on the other body. This ] force is exerted ''by'' the body in curved motion ''on'' the other body that provides the centripetal force and its direction is from that other body toward the body in curved motion.<ref name=Mook>{{Cite book |last=Mook |first=Delo E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QnJqIyk_dzIC&pg=PA47 |title=Inside relativity |date=1987 |publisher=Princeton University Press |author2=Thomas Vargish |isbn=0-691-08472-6 |location=Princeton, N.J. |oclc=16089285 |page=47 |access-date=2016-03-11 |archive-date=2024-10-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007142711/https://books.google.com/books?id=QnJqIyk_dzIC&pg=PA47#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Scott>{{cite news | title = Centrifugal Forces and Newton's Laws of Motion | volume = 25 | author = G. David Scott | publisher = American Journal of Physics | year = 1957 | page = 325 | url = http://www.deepdyve.com/lp/american-association-of-physics-teachers/centrifugal-forces-and-newton-s-laws-of-motion-0bO8fgiEUy }}
</ref>
<ref name=Signell>Signell, Peter (2002). {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007142603/http://physnet.org/modules/pdf_modules/m17.pdf |date=2024-10-07 }} ''Physnet''. Michigan State University, "Acceleration and force in circular motion", §5b, p. 7.</ref><ref>{{Cite book | last = Mohanty | first = A. K. | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=eF-H6O11fdkC&pg=PA121 | title = Fluid mechanics | date = 1994 | publisher = Prentice-Hall of India | isbn = 81-203-0894-8 | edition = 2nd | location = New Delhi | oclc = 44020947 | page = 121 | access-date = 2016-03-11 | archive-date = 2024-10-07 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20241007142716/https://books.google.com/books?id=eF-H6O11fdkC&pg=PA121#v=onepage&q&f=false | url-status = live }}</ref>


This reaction force is sometimes described as a ''centrifugal inertial reaction'',<ref name=Roche>{{cite journal |last = Roche |first= John |date= September 2001|url =http://www.iop.org/EJ/article/0031-9120/36/5/305/pe1505.pdf|title =Introducing motion in a circle | journal= Physics Education | volume = 43|number =5|pages = 399–405|doi= 10.1088/0031-9120/36/5/305 |bibcode= 2001PhyEd..36..399R |s2cid= 250827660 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | title = Physics, the pioneer science | journal = American Journal of Physics | volume = 1 | issue = 8 | author = Lloyd William Taylor | year = 1959 | page = 173 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=fp84AAAAIAAJ&q=%22centrifugal+inertial+reaction%22 | bibcode = 1961AmJPh..29..563T | doi = 10.1119/1.1937847 | url-access = subscription }}</ref> that is, a force that is centrifugally directed, which is a reactive force equal and opposite to the centripetal force that is curving the path of the mass.
{{cite book |author=Francis Begnaud Hildebrand |title=Methods of Applied Mathematics |page=156 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=17EZkWPz_eQC&pg=PA156&dq=absence+fictitious+force&lr=&as_brr=0&sig=ACfU3U1rrR7AnDqhMl7XJkkOEMJLr8co2Q |isbn=0486670023 |publisher=Courier Dover Publications |year=1992 |edition=Reprint of 1965 2nd }}


The concept of the reactive centrifugal force is sometimes used in mechanics and engineering. It is sometimes referred to as just ''centrifugal force'' rather than as ''reactive'' centrifugal force<ref name=Bowser>{{cite book | title = An elementary treatise on analytic mechanics: with numerous examples | author = Edward Albert Bowser | publisher = D. Van Nostrand Company | year = 1920 | edition = 25th | page = 357 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=mE4GAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA357 | access-date = 2020-11-09 | archive-date = 2024-10-07 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20241007143122/https://books.google.com/books?id=mE4GAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA357#v=onepage&q&f=false | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name=Angelo>{{cite book | title=Robotics: a reference guide to the new technology | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=73kNFV4sDx8C&pg=PA267 | page=267 | author=Joseph A. Angelo | isbn=978-1-57356-337-6 | year=2007 | publisher=Greenwood Press | access-date=2020-11-09 | archive-date=2024-10-07 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007143207/https://books.google.com/books?id=73kNFV4sDx8C&pg=PA267 | url-status=live }}</ref> although this usage is deprecated in elementary mechanics.<ref name = Rogers> {{cite book | title = Physics for the Inquiring Mind | url = https://archive.org/details/physicsforinquir00roge | url-access = registration | author = Eric M Rogers | publisher = Princeton University Press | year = 1960 | page = }}</ref>
</ref><ref name=Bhatia>


== See also ==
{{cite book |title=Classical Mechanics: With Introduction to Nonlinear Oscillations and Chaos |author=V. B. Bhatia |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=PmXYkwFGnX0C&pg=PA82 |page=82 |isbn=8173191050 |year=1997 |publisher=Alpha Science Int'l Ltd. |isbn=8173191050}}
{{Portal|Physics}}
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]


==Notes==
</ref> For the particular case of single-body motion found using the generalized coordinates (''r'', ''θ'' ) in a central force, the Euler-Lagrange equations are the same equations found using Newton's second law in a co-rotating frame. For example, the radial equation is:
{{notelist}}


==References==
:<math> \mu \ddot r = \mu r\dot\theta^2 - \frac {dU}{dr} \ , </math>
{{Reflist|30em}}


== External links ==
where ''U(r)'' is the central force potential. The left side is a "generalized force" and the first term on the right is the "generalized centrifugal force". However, the left side is not comparable to a Newtonian force, as it does not contain the complete radial acceleration, and likewise, therefore, the terms on the right-hand side are "generalized forces" and cannot be interpreted as Newtonian forces.<ref>Henry M. Stommel and Dennis W. Moore (1989). ''An Introduction to the Coriolis Force'' Columbia University Press. pp 36-38</ref>
* {{commons category-inline|Centrifugal force}}


{{Authority control}}
The Lagrangian centrifugal force is derived without explicit use of a rotating frame of reference,<ref name=Whittaker>

See {{cite book |title=A treatise on the analytical dynamics of particles and rigid bodies |author=Edmond T Whittaker |edition=Reprint of 1917 2nd |publisher=Cambridge University Press |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=epH1hCB7N2MC&printsec=frontcover#PPA40,M1 |isbn=0521358833 |pages=40-41}} for an explanation of how the Newtonian centrifugal force generates a potential term in the Lagrangian.

</ref> but in the case of motion in a central potential the result is the same as the Newtonian centrifugal force derived in a co-rotating frame.<ref name=Bini1997/> The Lagrangian use of "centrifugal force" in other, more general cases, however, has only a limited connection to the Newtonian definition. Although the two formulations of mechanics must lead to the same equations given the same choice of variables, the connection between them may be obscure,<ref name=frame>

For example, while the Newtonian picture uses a single ], the Lagrangian generalized coordinates may refer simultaneously to several different frames, making the connection to the Newtonian picture complex.{{cite book |title=''op. cit.''|author=Shuzhi S. Ge, Tong Heng Lee, Christopher John Harris |isbn=981023452X |page=136 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=cdBENqlY_ucC&printsec=frontcover&dq=CHristoffel+centrifugal&lr=&as_brr=0#PPA136,M1}}

</ref> and the same terminology employs different meanings. In particular, "generalized forces" (often referred to without the adjective "generalized") in most cases are ''not'' Newtonian forces, and do not transform as vectors. Unlike the Newtonian centrifugal force, the Lagrangian centrifugal force may be non-zero even in an ] of reference.

== Centrifugal force and absolute rotation ==

Can absolute rotation be detected? In other words, can one decide whether an observed object is rotating or if it is you, the observer that is rotating? Newton suggested two experiments to resolve this problem. One is the effect of centrifugal force upon the shape of the surface of water rotating in a bucket. The second is the effect of centrifugal force upon the tension in a string joining two spheres rotating about their center of mass. A related third suggestion was that rotation of a sphere (such as a planet) could be detected from its shape (or "figure"), which is formed as a balance between containment by gravitational attraction and dispersal by centrifugal force.

===Rotating bucket===
] liquids rotating around a vertical axis is an upward-opening circular paraboloid.]]
{{see also|Bucket argument}}
Newton suggested the shape of the surface of the water indicates the presence or absence of absolute rotation relative to the ]: rotating water has a curved surface, still water has a flat surface. Because rotating water has a concave surface, if the surface you see is concave, and the water does not seem to you to be rotating, then ''you'' are rotating with the water.

Centrifugal force is needed to explain the concavity of the water in a co-rotating frame of reference (one that rotates with the water) because the water appears stationary in this frame, and so should have a flat surface. Thus, observers looking at the stationary water need the centrifugal force to explain why the water surface is concave and not flat. The centrifugal force pushes the water toward the sides of the bucket, where it piles up deeper and deeper, Pile-up is arrested when any further climb costs as much work against gravity as is the energy gained from the greater centrifugal force at larger radius.

If you need a centrifugal force to explain what you see, then you are rotating. Newton's conclusion was that rotation is absolute.<ref>{{cite book
| title=Einstein's Theory of Relativity
| author=Max Born and Günther Leibfried
| page=78–79
| isbn=0486607690
| publisher=Courier Dover Publications
| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Afeff9XNwgoC&pg=PA76&dq=inertial+forces
}}</ref>
Other thinkers suggest that pure logic implies only relative rotation makes sense. For example, ] and ] (among others) suggested that it is relative rotation with respect to the fixed stars that matters, and rotation of the fixed stars relative to an object has the same effect as rotation of the object with respect to the fixed stars.<ref name=Ridley>

{{cite book |page=146 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=_kgYo4Sk9_kC&pg=PA146 |author=BK Ridley |title=Time, Space, and Things |isbn=0521484863 |year=1995 |edition=3 |publisher=Cambridge University Press}}

</ref> Newton's arguments do not settle this issue; his arguments may be viewed, however, as establishing centrifugal force as a basis for an ] of what we actually mean by absolute rotation.<ref name=Cohen>

Rather than justifying a causal link between rotation and centrifugal effects, Newton's arguments may be viewed as ''defining'' "absolute rotation" by stating a ''procedure'' for its detection and measurement involving centrifugal force. See {{cite book |title=The Cambridge Companion to Newton |pages= 44-45 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=3wIzvqzfUXkC&pg=PA43#PPA44,M1 |isbn=0521656966 |year=2002 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |author=Robert Disalle |editor=I. Bernard Cohen & George E. Smith }}</ref>

===Rotating spheres===
{{seealso|Rotating spheres}}
]

Newton also proposed another experiment to measure one's rate of rotation: using the tension in a cord joining two spheres rotating about their center of mass. Non-zero tension in the string indicates rotation of the spheres, whether or not the observer thinks they are rotating. This experiment is simpler than the bucket experiment in principle, because it need not involve gravity.

Beyond a simple "yes or no" answer to rotation, one may actually calculate one's rotation. To do that, one takes one's measured rate of rotation of the spheres and computes the tension appropriate to this observed rate. This calculated tension then is compared to the measured tension. If the two agree, one is in a stationary (non-rotating) frame. If the two do ''not'' agree, to obtain agreement, one must include a centrifugal force in the tension calculation; for example, if the spheres appear to be stationary, but the tension is non-zero, the entire tension is due to centrifugal force. From the necessary centrifugal force, one can determine one's speed of rotation; for example, if the calculated tension is greater than measured, one is rotating in the sense opposite to the spheres, and the larger the discrepancy the faster this rotation.

The centrifugal force is not simply cerebral, but actually is experienced by the rotating observer.<ref name=XKCD>

See : XKCD demonstrates the life and death importance of centrifugal force.

</ref> That is, forces experienced by the rotating observer are equally ''real'', whether their origin is ''fundamental'' or simply in the ''rotation of the observer''.

===Figure of the Earth===
{{seealso|Clairaut's theorem|Figure of the Earth}}
]

In a similar fashion, if we did not know the Earth rotates about its axis, we could infer this rotation from the centrifugal force needed to account for the bulging observed at its equator.<ref name=Ritchie>
{{Cite book
|title= The Dynamical Theory of the Formation of the Earth
|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=YGdDAAAAIAAJ&pg=RA1-PA529
|publisher=Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans
|author=Archibald Tucker Ritchie
|page=529 |year=1850
}}</ref><ref name=Taylor>
{{cite book
|author=John Clayton Taylor |title=Hidden unity in nature's laws
|page=26
|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=VEn8Orko4FgC&pg=PA26
|year=2001
|publisher=Cambridge University Press
|isbn=0521659388
}}</ref>

In his ''Principia'', ] proposed the shape of the rotating Earth was that of a homogeneous ellipsoid formed by an equilibrium between the gravitational force holding it together and the centrifugal force pulling it apart. The Earth's surface is an equipotential, that is, no work is done moving upon the Earth's surface, either against gravity or against centrifugal force. Based upon this equilibrium, Newton determined a flattening expressed by the ratio of diameters: 230 to 229.<ref name=Newton>

Isaac Newton: ''Principia'' (July 5, 1687) Book III Proposition XIX Problem III, p. 407 in Andrew Motte translation.

</ref><ref name=Principia>

See the ''Principia'' on line at . Other sources and some notes are found at ].

</ref> A modern measurement of the Earth's oblateness leads to an equatorial radius of 6378.14 km and a polar radius of 6356.77 km,<ref name=Brown>

{{cite book |title=Spacecraft mission design |author=Charles D Brown |page=58 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=vpilMLP7OHQC&pg=PA57 |isbn=1563472627 |year=1998 |edition=2 |publisher=American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronomy}}

</ref> about 1/10% less oblate than Newton's estimate.<ref name=Flatness>

This error is the difference in the estimated ratio of diameters. However, a more demanding measure of oblateness is the '']'', defined as ''f = (a−b)/a'' where ''a'' and ''b'' are the semimajor and semiminor axes. Using the cited numbers, the flattening of Newton's prediction differs by 23% from that of modern estimates.

</ref> A theoretical determination of the precise extent of oblateness in response to a centrifugal force requires an understanding of the make-up of the planet, not only today but during its formation.<ref name="Encyclopædia">
{{cite book |title=The Encyclopædia of Geography |chapter=Figure and constitution of the Earth deduced from the theory of gravitation |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=sFYWAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA125 |pages=124 ''ff'' |author=Hugh Murray |year=1837 |volume=vol. 1 |publisher=Carey, Lea & Blanchard}}

</ref><ref name=Jupiter>

{{cite book |title=World-life; Or, Comparative Geology |page=425 |author=Alexander Winchell |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=cctLAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA426 |publisher=SC Griggs & Co. |year=1888 }}</ref>

==History of conceptions of centrifugal and centripetal forces==
] coined the term "centrifugal force" (''vis centrifuga'') in his 1673 ''Horologium Oscillatorium'' on ]s, and ] coined the term "centripetal force" (''vis centripita'') in his discussions of gravity in his 1684 ''De Motu Corpurum''.<ref>], pp. 4-5.</ref> ] as part of his 'solar vortex theory' conceived of centrifugal force as a real outward ] which is induced by the circulation of the body upon which the force acts. The inverse cube law centrifugal force appears in an equation representing planetary ]s, including non-circular ones, as Leibniz described in his 1689 ''Tentamen de motuum coelestium causis''.<ref>], p. 130.</ref> Leibniz's equation is still used today to solve planetary orbital problems, although the 'solar vortex theory' is no longer used as its basis.<ref> Herbert Goldstein 'Classical Mechanics', equation 3-12</ref>

Huygens, who was, along with Leibniz, a neo-Cartesian and critic of Newton, concluded after a long correspondence that Leibniz's writings on celestial mechanics made no sense, and that his invocation of a harmonic vortex was logically redundant, because Leibniz's radial equation of motion follows trivially from Newton's laws. Even the most ardant modern defenders of the cogency of Leibniz's ideas acknowledge that his harmonic vortex as the basis of centrifugal force was dynamically superfluous.<ref>A. R. Hall, Philosophers at War, 2002, pp 150-151</ref>

There is evidence that ] originally conceived of a similar approach to centrifugal force as Leibniz, though he seems to have changed his position at some point. When Leibniz produced his equation for planetary orbits in which the centrifugal force appeared as an outward inverse cube law force in the radial direction:<ref name="Linton285">], p. 285.</ref>
:<math> \ddot r = -k/r^{2} + l^{2}/r^{3}</math>.
Newton himself appears to have previously supported an approach similar to that of Leibniz.<ref>], p. 268.</ref> Later, Newton in his ''Principia'' crucially limited the description of the dynamics of planetary motion to a frame of reference in which the point of attraction is fixed. In this description, Leibniz's centrifugal force was not needed and was replaced by only continually inward forces toward the fixed point.<ref name=Linton264>], pg. 264</ref> Newton objected to this Liebniz's equation on the grounds that it allowed for the centrifugal force to have a different value from the centripetal force, arguing on the basis of his third law of motion, that the centrifugal force and the centripetal force must constitute an equal and opposite action-reaction pair. In this however, Newton was mistaken, as the reactive centrifugal force which is required by the third law of motion is a completely separate concept from the centrifugal force of Leibniz's equation.<ref name=Swetz269>], p. 269.</ref>

It wasn't until the latter half of the 18th century that the modern "]" understanding of the centrifugal force as a pseudo-force artifact of rotating reference frames took shape.<ref>], "Newton's Orbit Problem: A Historian's Response".</ref>
In a 1746 ] by ], the "idea that the centrifugal force is fictitious emerges unmistakably."<ref name=Meli>], "The Relativization of Centrifugal Force".</ref> Bernoulli, in seeking to describe the motion of an object relative to an arbitrary point, showed that the magnitude of the centrifugal force depended on which arbitrary point was chosen. In other words, the centrifugal force depended on the reference frame of the observer, as opposed to other forces which depended only on the properties of the objects involved in the problem and were independent of the frame. Also in the second half of the 18th century, ] in his ''Mécanique Analytique'' explicitly stated that the centrifugal force depends on the rotation of a system of ] ].<ref name=Meli/> In 1835, ] analyzed arbitrary motion in rotating systems, specifically in relation to waterwheels. He coined the phrase "compound centrifugal force" for a term which bore a similar mathematical expression to that of centrifugal force, albeit that it was multiplied by a factor of two.<ref>], p. 374.</ref> The force in question was perpendicular to both the ] of an object relative to a rotating frame of reference and the ] of the frame. Compound centrifugal force eventually came to be known as the ].<ref>], "How Do We Understand the Coriolis Force?".</ref><ref>], p. 137.</ref>

In part I of his 1861 paper '']'', ] used the concept of centrifugal force in order to explain magnetic repulsion. He considered that magnetic lines of force are comprised of molecular vortices aligned along their mutual axes of rotation. When two magnets repel each other, the magnetic lines of force in the space between the like poles spread outwards and away from each other. Maxwell considered that the repulsion is due to centrifugal force acting in the equatorial plane of the molecular vortices.

The modern interpretation is that ] is a pseudo-force that appears in equations of motion in ], to explain effects of ] as seen in such frames.<ref>], p. 49.</ref> Leibniz's centrifugal force may be understood as an application of this conception, as a result of his viewing the motion of a planet along the radius vector, that is, from the standpoint of a special reference frame rotating with the planet.<ref>], "The celestial mechanics of Leibniz in the light of Newtonian criticism".</ref><ref name=Linton264/><ref name=Swetz269/> Leibniz introduced the notions of ''vis viva'' (kinetic energy)<ref name=Russell>

{{cite book |title=A Critical Exposition of the Philosophy of Leibniz |author= Bertrand Russell |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=R7GauFXXedwC&pg=PA96 |page=96 |isbn=041508296X |year=1992 |edition=Reprint of 1937 2nd |publisher=Routledge}}

</ref> and ''action'',<ref name=Lefèvre>

{{cite book |title=Between Leibniz, Newton, and Kant |author=Wolfgang Lefèvre |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=BbIV21eN4jEC&pg=PA39 |page=39 |isbn=0792371984 |year=2001 |publisher=Springer}}

</ref> which eventually found full expression in the ]. In deriving Leibniz's radial equation from the Lagrangian standpoint, a rotating reference frame is not used explicitly,<ref>], pp.74-77</ref> but the result is equivalent to that found using Newtonian vector mechanics in a co-rotating reference frame.<ref>], pg. 176</ref><ref>], pp. 358-359</ref><ref>{{cite journal
| last = Whiting
| first = J.S.S.
| year = 1983
| month = November
| title = Motion in a central-force field
| journal = Physics Education
| volume = 18
| issue = 6
| pages = pp. 256&ndash;257
| issn = 0031-9120
| url = http://www.iop.org/EJ/article/0031-9120/18/6/102/pev18i6p256.pdf
| accessdate = May 7, 2009
}}</ref>

==See also==

The concept of centrifugal force in its more technical aspects introduces several additional topics:

*], which compare observations by observers in different states of motion. Among the many possible reference frames the ] are singled out as the frames where physical laws take their simplest form. In this context, physical forces are divided into two groups: real forces that originate in real sources, like electrical force originates in charges, and

*]s that do not so originate, but originate instead in the motion of the observer. Naturally, forces that originate in the motion of the observer vary with the motion of the observer, and in particular vanish for some observers, namely those in inertial frames of reference.

Centrifugal force has played a key role in debates over relative versus absolute rotation.<ref>], p. 272.</ref><ref>], pp. 7-8.</ref><ref>], pp. 6-8.</ref>
These historic arguments are found in the articles:

* ]: The historic example proposing that explanations of the observed curvature of the surface of water in a rotating bucket are different for different observers, allowing identification of the relative rotation of the observer. In particular, rotating observers must invoke centrifugal force as part of their explanation, while stationary observers do not.

* ]: The historic example proposing that the explanation of the tension in a rope joining two spheres rotating about their center of gravity are different for different observers, allowing identification of the relative rotation of the observer. In particular, rotating observers must invoke centrifugal force as part of their explanation of the tension, while stationary observers do not.

The analogy between centrifugal force (sometimes used to create ]) and gravitational forces led to the ] of ].<ref name=Barbour>], p. 69.</ref><ref name=Eriksson>], p. 194.</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Bibliography==
* {{wikicite|id=idAiton1962|reference=Aiton, E.J. (1 March 1962). "The celestial mechanics of Leibniz in the light of Newtonian criticism". ''Annals of Science'' (Taylor & Francis) '''18''' (1): pp. 31-41.}} {{doi|10.1080/00033796200202682}}
* {{wikicite|id=idBarbour1995|reference=Barbour, Julian B. and Herbert Pfister (1995). ''''. Birkhäuser. ISBN 0817638237}}
* {{wikicite|id=idDugas1988|reference=Dugas, René and J. R. Maddox (1988). ''''. Courier Dover Publications. ISBN 0486656322}}
* {{wikicite|id=idEriksson2008|reference=Eriksson, Ingrid V. (2008). ''''. Nova Books. ISBN 1600219519}}
* {{wikicite|id=idFetter2003|reference=Fetter, Alexander L. and John Dirk Walecka (2003). '''' (Reprint of McGraw-Hill 1980 ed.). Courier Dover Publications. ISBN 0486432610}}
* {{wikicite|id=idGoldstein2002|reference=Goldstein, Herbert (2002). ''Classical Mechanics''. San Francisco : Addison Wesley. ISBN 0201316110}}
* {{wikicite|id=idGillies1995|reference=Gillies, Donald (1995). ''''. Oxford: University Press. ISBN 9780198514862}}
* {{wikicite|id=idJacobson1980|reference=Jacobson, Mark Zachary (1980). ''''. Cambridge: University Press. ISBN 9780521637176}}
* {{wikicite|id=idKlein2008|reference=Klein, Felix & Arnold Sommerfeld (2008). '''', vol. 1 (New translation of 1910 ed.). ISBN 0817647201}}
* {{wikicite|id=idKobayashi2008|reference=Kobayashi, Yukio (2008). . ''European Journal of Physics'' '''29''' (3):pp. 599-606.}} {{ISSN|0143-0807}}
* {{wikicite|id=idLinton2004|reference=Linton, Christopher (2004). ''''. Cambridge: University Press. ISBN 0521827507}}
* {{wikicite|id=idMeli1990|reference=Meli, Domenico Bertoloni (March 1990). . ''Isis'' '''81''' (1): pp. 23-43.}} {{ISSN|0021-1753}}
* {{wikicite|id=idMohanty2004|reference=Mohanty, A. K. (2004). ''''. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 8120308948}}
* {{wikicite|id=idMook1987|reference=Mook, Delo E. & Thomas Vargish (1987). ''''. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691025207}}
* {{wikicite|id=idPersson1998|reference=Persson, Anders (July 1998). . ''Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society'' '''79''' (7): pp. 1373–1385.}} {{ISSN|0003-0007}}
* {{wikicite|id=idRindler2006|reference=Rindler, Wolfgang (2006). ''''. Oxford: University Press. ISBN 9780198567318}}
* {{wikicite|id=idRizzi2004|reference=Rizzi, Guido and Matteo Luca Ruggiero (2004). ''''. Springer. ISBN 9781402018053}}
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Latest revision as of 14:58, 29 December 2024

Type of inertial force Not to be confused with Centripetal force.
In the inertial frame of reference (upper part of the picture), the black ball moves in a straight line. However, the observer (brown dot) who is standing in the rotating/non-inertial frame of reference (lower part of the picture) sees the object as following a curved path due to the Coriolis and centrifugal forces present in this frame.
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F = d p d t {\displaystyle {\textbf {F}}={\frac {d\mathbf {p} }{dt}}} Second law of motion
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Centrifugal force is a fictitious force in Newtonian mechanics (also called an "inertial" or "pseudo" force) that appears to act on all objects when viewed in a rotating frame of reference. It appears to be directed radially away from the axis of rotation of the frame. The magnitude of the centrifugal force F on an object of mass m at the distance r from the axis of a rotating frame of reference with angular velocity ω is: F = m ω 2 r {\displaystyle F=m\omega ^{2}r}

This fictitious force is often applied to rotating devices, such as centrifuges, centrifugal pumps, centrifugal governors, and centrifugal clutches, and in centrifugal railways, planetary orbits and banked curves, when they are analyzed in a non–inertial reference frame such as a rotating coordinate system.

The term has sometimes also been used for the reactive centrifugal force, a real frame-independent Newtonian force that exists as a reaction to a centripetal force in some scenarios.

History

Main article: History of centrifugal and centripetal forces

From 1659, the Neo-Latin term vi centrifuga ("centrifugal force") is attested in Christiaan Huygens' notes and letters. Note, that in Latin centrum means "center" and ‑fugus (from fugiō) means "fleeing, avoiding". Thus, centrifugus means "fleeing from the center" in a literal translation.

In 1673, in Horologium Oscillatorium, Huygens writes (as translated by Richard J. Blackwell):

There is another kind of oscillation in addition to the one we have examined up to this point; namely, a motion in which a suspended weight is moved around through the circumference of a circle. From this we were led to the construction of another clock at about the same time we invented the first one. I originally intended to publish here a lengthy description of these clocks, along with matters pertaining to circular motion and centrifugal force, as it might be called, a subject about which I have more to say than I am able to do at present. But, in order that those interested in these things can sooner enjoy these new and not useless speculations, and in order that their publication not be prevented by some accident, I have decided, contrary to my plan, to add this fifth part .

The same year, Isaac Newton received Huygens work via Henry Oldenburg and replied "I pray you return my humble thanks I am glad we can expect another discourse of the vis centrifuga, which speculation may prove of good use in natural philosophy and astronomy, as well as mechanics".

In 1687, in Principia, Newton further develops vis centrifuga ("centrifugal force"). Around this time, the concept is also further evolved by Newton, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, and Robert Hooke.

In the late 18th century, the modern conception of the centrifugal force evolved as a "fictitious force" arising in a rotating reference.

Centrifugal force has also played a role in debates in classical mechanics about detection of absolute motion. Newton suggested two arguments to answer the question of whether absolute rotation can be detected: the rotating bucket argument, and the rotating spheres argument. According to Newton, in each scenario the centrifugal force would be observed in the object's local frame (the frame where the object is stationary) only if the frame were rotating with respect to absolute space.

Around 1883, Mach's principle was proposed where, instead of absolute rotation, the motion of the distant stars relative to the local inertial frame gives rise through some (hypothetical) physical law to the centrifugal force and other inertia effects. Today's view is based upon the idea of an inertial frame of reference, which privileges observers for which the laws of physics take on their simplest form, and in particular, frames that do not use centrifugal forces in their equations of motion in order to describe motions correctly.

Around 1914, the analogy between centrifugal force (sometimes used to create artificial gravity) and gravitational forces led to the equivalence principle of general relativity.

Introduction

Centrifugal force is an outward force apparent in a rotating reference frame. It does not exist when a system is described relative to an inertial frame of reference.

All measurements of position and velocity must be made relative to some frame of reference. For example, an analysis of the motion of an object in an airliner in flight could be made relative to the airliner, to the surface of the Earth, or even to the Sun. A reference frame that is at rest (or one that moves with no rotation and at constant velocity) relative to the "fixed stars" is generally taken to be an inertial frame. Any system can be analyzed in an inertial frame (and so with no centrifugal force). However, it is often more convenient to describe a rotating system by using a rotating frame—the calculations are simpler, and descriptions more intuitive. When this choice is made, fictitious forces, including the centrifugal force, arise.

In a reference frame rotating about an axis through its origin, all objects, regardless of their state of motion, appear to be under the influence of a radially (from the axis of rotation) outward force that is proportional to their mass, to the distance from the axis of rotation of the frame, and to the square of the angular velocity of the frame. This is the centrifugal force. As humans usually experience centrifugal force from within the rotating reference frame, e.g. on a merry-go-round or vehicle, this is much more well-known than centripetal force.

Motion relative to a rotating frame results in another fictitious force: the Coriolis force. If the rate of rotation of the frame changes, a third fictitious force (the Euler force) is required. These fictitious forces are necessary for the formulation of correct equations of motion in a rotating reference frame and allow Newton's laws to be used in their normal form in such a frame (with one exception: the fictitious forces do not obey Newton's third law: they have no equal and opposite counterparts). Newton's third law requires the counterparts to exist within the same frame of reference, hence centrifugal and centripetal force, which do not, are not action and reaction (as is sometimes erroneously contended).

Examples

Vehicle driving round a curve

A common experience that gives rise to the idea of a centrifugal force is encountered by passengers riding in a vehicle, such as a car, that is changing direction. If a car is traveling at a constant speed along a straight road, then a passenger inside is not accelerating and, according to Newton's second law of motion, the net force acting on them is therefore zero (all forces acting on them cancel each other out). If the car enters a curve that bends to the left, the passenger experiences an apparent force that seems to be pulling them towards the right. This is the fictitious centrifugal force. It is needed within the passengers' local frame of reference to explain their sudden tendency to start accelerating to the right relative to the car—a tendency which they must resist by applying a rightward force to the car (for instance, a frictional force against the seat) in order to remain in a fixed position inside. Since they push the seat toward the right, Newton's third law says that the seat pushes them towards the left. The centrifugal force must be included in the passenger's reference frame (in which the passenger remains at rest): it counteracts the leftward force applied to the passenger by the seat, and explains why this otherwise unbalanced force does not cause them to accelerate. However, it would be apparent to a stationary observer watching from an overpass above that the frictional force exerted on the passenger by the seat is not being balanced; it constitutes a net force to the left, causing the passenger to accelerate toward the inside of the curve, as they must in order to keep moving with the car rather than proceeding in a straight line as they otherwise would. Thus the "centrifugal force" they feel is the result of a "centrifugal tendency" caused by inertia. Similar effects are encountered in aeroplanes and roller coasters where the magnitude of the apparent force is often reported in "G's".

Stone on a string

If a stone is whirled round on a string, in a horizontal plane, the only real force acting on the stone in the horizontal plane is applied by the string (gravity acts vertically). There is a net force on the stone in the horizontal plane which acts toward the center.

In an inertial frame of reference, were it not for this net force acting on the stone, the stone would travel in a straight line, according to Newton's first law of motion. In order to keep the stone moving in a circular path, a centripetal force, in this case provided by the string, must be continuously applied to the stone. As soon as it is removed (for example if the string breaks) the stone moves in a straight line, as viewed from above. In this inertial frame, the concept of centrifugal force is not required as all motion can be properly described using only real forces and Newton's laws of motion.

In a frame of reference rotating with the stone around the same axis as the stone, the stone is stationary. However, the force applied by the string is still acting on the stone. If one were to apply Newton's laws in their usual (inertial frame) form, one would conclude that the stone should accelerate in the direction of the net applied force—towards the axis of rotation—which it does not do. The centrifugal force and other fictitious forces must be included along with the real forces in order to apply Newton's laws of motion in the rotating frame.

Earth

The Earth constitutes a rotating reference frame because it rotates once every 23 hours and 56 minutes around its axis. Because the rotation is slow, the fictitious forces it produces are often small, and in everyday situations can generally be neglected. Even in calculations requiring high precision, the centrifugal force is generally not explicitly included, but rather lumped in with the gravitational force: the strength and direction of the local "gravity" at any point on the Earth's surface is actually a combination of gravitational and centrifugal forces. However, the fictitious forces can be of arbitrary size. For example, in an Earth-bound reference system (where the earth is represented as stationary), the fictitious force (the net of Coriolis and centrifugal forces) is enormous and is responsible for the Sun orbiting around the Earth. This is due to the large mass and velocity of the Sun (relative to the Earth).

Weight of an object at the poles and on the equator

If an object is weighed with a simple spring balance at one of the Earth's poles, there are two forces acting on the object: the Earth's gravity, which acts in a downward direction, and the equal and opposite restoring force in the spring, acting upward. Since the object is stationary and not accelerating, there is no net force acting on the object and the force from the spring is equal in magnitude to the force of gravity on the object. In this case, the balance shows the value of the force of gravity on the object.

When the same object is weighed on the equator, the same two real forces act upon the object. However, the object is moving in a circular path as the Earth rotates and therefore experiencing a centripetal acceleration. When considered in an inertial frame (that is to say, one that is not rotating with the Earth), the non-zero acceleration means that force of gravity will not balance with the force from the spring. In order to have a net centripetal force, the magnitude of the restoring force of the spring must be less than the magnitude of force of gravity. This reduced restoring force in the spring is reflected on the scale as less weight — about 0.3% less at the equator than at the poles. In the Earth reference frame (in which the object being weighed is at rest), the object does not appear to be accelerating; however, the two real forces, gravity and the force from the spring, are the same magnitude and do not balance. The centrifugal force must be included to make the sum of the forces be zero to match the apparent lack of acceleration.

Note: In fact, the observed weight difference is more — about 0.53%. Earth's gravity is a bit stronger at the poles than at the equator, because the Earth is not a perfect sphere, so an object at the poles is slightly closer to the center of the Earth than one at the equator; this effect combines with the centrifugal force to produce the observed weight difference.

Derivation

Main article: Rotating reference frame See also: Fictitious force

For the following formalism, the rotating frame of reference is regarded as a special case of a non-inertial reference frame that is rotating relative to an inertial reference frame denoted the stationary frame.

Time derivatives in a rotating frame

In a rotating frame of reference, the time derivatives of any vector function P of time—such as the velocity and acceleration vectors of an object—will differ from its time derivatives in the stationary frame. If P1 P2, P3 are the components of P with respect to unit vectors i, j, k directed along the axes of the rotating frame (i.e. P = P1 i + P2 j +P3 k), then the first time derivative of P with respect to the rotating frame is, by definition, dP1/dt i + dP2/dt j + dP3/dt k. If the absolute angular velocity of the rotating frame is ω then the derivative dP/dt of P with respect to the stationary frame is related to by the equation: d P d t = [ d P d t ] + ω × P   , {\displaystyle {\frac {\mathrm {d} {\boldsymbol {P}}}{\mathrm {d} t}}=\left+{\boldsymbol {\omega }}\times {\boldsymbol {P}}\ ,} where × {\displaystyle \times } denotes the vector cross product. In other words, the rate of change of P in the stationary frame is the sum of its apparent rate of change in the rotating frame and a rate of rotation ω × P {\displaystyle {\boldsymbol {\omega }}\times {\boldsymbol {P}}} attributable to the motion of the rotating frame. The vector ω has magnitude ω equal to the rate of rotation and is directed along the axis of rotation according to the right-hand rule.

Acceleration

Newton's law of motion for a particle of mass m written in vector form is: F = m a   , {\displaystyle {\boldsymbol {F}}=m{\boldsymbol {a}}\ ,} where F is the vector sum of the physical forces applied to the particle and a is the absolute acceleration (that is, acceleration in an inertial frame) of the particle, given by: a = d 2 r d t 2   , {\displaystyle {\boldsymbol {a}}={\frac {\mathrm {d} ^{2}{\boldsymbol {r}}}{\mathrm {d} t^{2}}}\ ,} where r is the position vector of the particle (not to be confused with radius, as used above.)

By applying the transformation above from the stationary to the rotating frame three times (twice to d r d t {\textstyle {\frac {\mathrm {d} {\boldsymbol {r}}}{\mathrm {d} t}}} and once to d d t [ d r d t ] {\textstyle {\frac {\mathrm {d} }{\mathrm {d} t}}\left} ), the absolute acceleration of the particle can be written as: a = d 2 r d t 2 = d d t d r d t = d d t ( [ d r d t ] + ω × r   ) = [ d 2 r d t 2 ] + ω × [ d r d t ] + d ω d t × r + ω × d r d t = [ d 2 r d t 2 ] + ω × [ d r d t ] + d ω d t × r + ω × ( [ d r d t ] + ω × r   ) = [ d 2 r d t 2 ] + d ω d t × r + 2 ω × [ d r d t ] + ω × ( ω × r )   . {\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}{\boldsymbol {a}}&={\frac {\mathrm {d} ^{2}{\boldsymbol {r}}}{\mathrm {d} t^{2}}}={\frac {\mathrm {d} }{\mathrm {d} t}}{\frac {\mathrm {d} {\boldsymbol {r}}}{\mathrm {d} t}}={\frac {\mathrm {d} }{\mathrm {d} t}}\left(\left+{\boldsymbol {\omega }}\times {\boldsymbol {r}}\ \right)\\&=\left+{\boldsymbol {\omega }}\times \left+{\frac {\mathrm {d} {\boldsymbol {\omega }}}{\mathrm {d} t}}\times {\boldsymbol {r}}+{\boldsymbol {\omega }}\times {\frac {\mathrm {d} {\boldsymbol {r}}}{\mathrm {d} t}}\\&=\left+{\boldsymbol {\omega }}\times \left+{\frac {\mathrm {d} {\boldsymbol {\omega }}}{\mathrm {d} t}}\times {\boldsymbol {r}}+{\boldsymbol {\omega }}\times \left(\left+{\boldsymbol {\omega }}\times {\boldsymbol {r}}\ \right)\\&=\left+{\frac {\mathrm {d} {\boldsymbol {\omega }}}{\mathrm {d} t}}\times {\boldsymbol {r}}+2{\boldsymbol {\omega }}\times \left+{\boldsymbol {\omega }}\times ({\boldsymbol {\omega }}\times {\boldsymbol {r}})\ .\end{aligned}}}

Force

The apparent acceleration in the rotating frame is [ d 2 r d t 2 ] {\displaystyle \left} . An observer unaware of the rotation would expect this to be zero in the absence of outside forces. However, Newton's laws of motion apply only in the inertial frame and describe dynamics in terms of the absolute acceleration d 2 r d t 2 {\displaystyle {\frac {\mathrm {d} ^{2}{\boldsymbol {r}}}{\mathrm {d} t^{2}}}} . Therefore, the observer perceives the extra terms as contributions due to fictitious forces. These terms in the apparent acceleration are independent of mass; so it appears that each of these fictitious forces, like gravity, pulls on an object in proportion to its mass. When these forces are added, the equation of motion has the form: F + ( m d ω d t × r ) Euler + ( 2 m ω × [ d r d t ] ) Coriolis + ( m ω × ( ω × r ) ) centrifugal = m [ d 2 r d t 2 ]   . {\displaystyle {\boldsymbol {F}}+\underbrace {\left(-m{\frac {\mathrm {d} {\boldsymbol {\omega }}}{\mathrm {d} t}}\times {\boldsymbol {r}}\right)} _{\text{Euler}}+\underbrace {\left(-2m{\boldsymbol {\omega }}\times \left\right)} _{\text{Coriolis}}+\underbrace {\left(-m{\boldsymbol {\omega }}\times ({\boldsymbol {\omega }}\times {\boldsymbol {r}})\right)} _{\text{centrifugal}}=m\left\ .}

From the perspective of the rotating frame, the additional force terms are experienced just like the real external forces and contribute to the apparent acceleration. The additional terms on the force side of the equation can be recognized as, reading from left to right, the Euler force m d ω / d t × r {\displaystyle -m\mathrm {d} {\boldsymbol {\omega }}/\mathrm {d} t\times {\boldsymbol {r}}} , the Coriolis force 2 m ω × [ d r / d t ] {\displaystyle -2m{\boldsymbol {\omega }}\times \left} , and the centrifugal force m ω × ( ω × r ) {\displaystyle -m{\boldsymbol {\omega }}\times ({\boldsymbol {\omega }}\times {\boldsymbol {r}})} , respectively. Unlike the other two fictitious forces, the centrifugal force always points radially outward from the axis of rotation of the rotating frame, with magnitude m ω 2 r {\displaystyle m\omega ^{2}r_{\perp }} , where r {\displaystyle r_{\perp }} is the component of the position vector perpendicular to ω {\displaystyle {\boldsymbol {\omega }}} , and unlike the Coriolis force in particular, it is independent of the motion of the particle in the rotating frame. As expected, for a non-rotating inertial frame of reference ( ω = 0 ) {\displaystyle ({\boldsymbol {\omega }}=0)} the centrifugal force and all other fictitious forces disappear. Similarly, as the centrifugal force is proportional to the distance from object to the axis of rotation of the frame, the centrifugal force vanishes for objects that lie upon the axis.

Absolute rotation

The interface of two immiscible liquids rotating around a vertical axis is an upward-opening circular paraboloid.
When analysed in a rotating reference frame of the planet, centrifugal force causes rotating planets to assume the shape of an oblate spheroid.
Main article: Absolute rotation

Three scenarios were suggested by Newton to answer the question of whether the absolute rotation of a local frame can be detected; that is, if an observer can decide whether an observed object is rotating or if the observer is rotating.

  • The shape of the surface of water rotating in a bucket. The shape of the surface becomes concave to balance the centrifugal force against the other forces upon the liquid.
  • The tension in a string joining two spheres rotating about their center of mass. The tension in the string will be proportional to the centrifugal force on each sphere as it rotates around the common center of mass.

In these scenarios, the effects attributed to centrifugal force are only observed in the local frame (the frame in which the object is stationary) if the object is undergoing absolute rotation relative to an inertial frame. By contrast, in an inertial frame, the observed effects arise as a consequence of the inertia and the known forces without the need to introduce a centrifugal force. Based on this argument, the privileged frame, wherein the laws of physics take on the simplest form, is a stationary frame in which no fictitious forces need to be invoked.

Within this view of physics, any other phenomenon that is usually attributed to centrifugal force can be used to identify absolute rotation. For example, the oblateness of a sphere of freely flowing material is often explained in terms of centrifugal force. The oblate spheroid shape reflects, following Clairaut's theorem, the balance between containment by gravitational attraction and dispersal by centrifugal force. That the Earth is itself an oblate spheroid, bulging at the equator where the radial distance and hence the centrifugal force is larger, is taken as one of the evidences for its absolute rotation.

Applications

The operations of numerous common rotating mechanical systems are most easily conceptualized in terms of centrifugal force. For example:

  • A centrifugal governor regulates the speed of an engine by using spinning masses that move radially, adjusting the throttle, as the engine changes speed. In the reference frame of the spinning masses, centrifugal force causes the radial movement.
  • A centrifugal clutch is used in small engine-powered devices such as chain saws, go-karts and model helicopters. It allows the engine to start and idle without driving the device but automatically and smoothly engages the drive as the engine speed rises. Inertial drum brake ascenders used in rock climbing and the inertia reels used in many automobile seat belts operate on the same principle.
  • Centrifugal forces can be used to generate artificial gravity, as in proposed designs for rotating space stations. The Mars Gravity Biosatellite would have studied the effects of Mars-level gravity on mice with gravity simulated in this way.
  • Spin casting and centrifugal casting are production methods that use centrifugal force to disperse liquid metal or plastic throughout the negative space of a mold.
  • Centrifuges are used in science and industry to separate substances. In the reference frame spinning with the centrifuge, the centrifugal force induces a hydrostatic pressure gradient in fluid-filled tubes oriented perpendicular to the axis of rotation, giving rise to large buoyant forces which push low-density particles inward. Elements or particles denser than the fluid move outward under the influence of the centrifugal force. This is effectively Archimedes' principle as generated by centrifugal force as opposed to being generated by gravity.
  • Some amusement rides make use of centrifugal forces. For instance, a Gravitron's spin forces riders against a wall and allows riders to be elevated above the machine's floor in defiance of Earth's gravity.

Nevertheless, all of these systems can also be described without requiring the concept of centrifugal force, in terms of motions and forces in a stationary frame, at the cost of taking somewhat more care in the consideration of forces and motions within the system.

Other uses of the term

While the majority of the scientific literature uses the term centrifugal force to refer to the particular fictitious force that arises in rotating frames, there are a few limited instances in the literature of the term applied to other distinct physical concepts.

In Lagrangian mechanics

One of these instances occurs in Lagrangian mechanics. Lagrangian mechanics formulates mechanics in terms of generalized coordinates {qk}, which can be as simple as the usual polar coordinates ( r ,   θ ) {\displaystyle (r,\ \theta )} or a much more extensive list of variables. Within this formulation the motion is described in terms of generalized forces, using in place of Newton's laws the Euler–Lagrange equations. Among the generalized forces, those involving the square of the time derivatives {(dqk  ⁄ dt )} are sometimes called centrifugal forces. In the case of motion in a central potential the Lagrangian centrifugal force has the same form as the fictitious centrifugal force derived in a co-rotating frame. However, the Lagrangian use of "centrifugal force" in other, more general cases has only a limited connection to the Newtonian definition.

As a reactive force

In another instance the term refers to the reaction force to a centripetal force, or reactive centrifugal force. A body undergoing curved motion, such as circular motion, is accelerating toward a center at any particular point in time. This centripetal acceleration is provided by a centripetal force, which is exerted on the body in curved motion by some other body. In accordance with Newton's third law of motion, the body in curved motion exerts an equal and opposite force on the other body. This reactive force is exerted by the body in curved motion on the other body that provides the centripetal force and its direction is from that other body toward the body in curved motion.

This reaction force is sometimes described as a centrifugal inertial reaction, that is, a force that is centrifugally directed, which is a reactive force equal and opposite to the centripetal force that is curving the path of the mass.

The concept of the reactive centrifugal force is sometimes used in mechanics and engineering. It is sometimes referred to as just centrifugal force rather than as reactive centrifugal force although this usage is deprecated in elementary mechanics.

See also

Notes

  1. In Latin: vim centrifugam.

References

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