Forces | Round and round we go
Round and round we go
Newton's laws explain both straight motion and circular motion. A force that causes an object to follow a circular path is called
centripetal forceA force that pushes an object inward, which causes the object to move in a circular path.. The word centripetal comes from the Latin words centrum and petere, meaning center seeking. (This force is often confused with centrifugal force, meaning center fleeing. Centrifugal force is not considered a true force, as there is no force acting upon the object; it is only the tendency of the object to continue in a straight line. See Ocean chapter.) Anytime there is a circular movement around a central point, then centripetal force is at work.
Centripetal force is based on Newton's first law of motion that states an object will travel along a straight path with constant speed...
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