Centrifugal Force vs. Centripetal Force
Key Differences
Comparison Chart
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Status of Force
Formula
Direction
Example
What is Centrifugal Force?
Centrifugal force is not a force in real. It is a misconception among people, and they are often confused between centrifugal and centripetal force. Centrifugal force is the effect produced by the inertia of the body moving in a circular path around a center of curvature. This inertial effect of the moving body in a circular path, which is directed from the center of curvature towards the body is termed as Centrifugal force. It is moreover regarded as a fictitious or pseudo force as it is not a proper force on its own. Whenever a body moves around a center of curvature in a circular path, due to its inertia, a force is generated which impels from the center of the curvature towards the body and let the body move away from the center of curvature breaking up the circular path. In other words, we can term the centrifugal force as the throwing away effect or force which enables the body to break and fly out of the circular path-breaking the circular motion. It usually does not happen because the effect of centrifugal force is canceled by the centripetal force which is a real force and acts against the direction of centrifugal force canceling its effect. In the cases when a body moving in a circular path breaks that path and is thrown away against the direction of the center of curvature, it is due to the dominance of centrifugal effect over centripetal force. Chistiaan Hygens first described the centrifugal force in 1659. Later on, in 1684 Isaac Newton more clearly depict the idea of centrifugal force along with defining the centripetal force too.
What is Centripetal Force?
Centripetal force is the real force that acts in the opposite direction of the centrifugal force canceling the inertial effect of the body moving in a circular path. Centripetal force is a force which directs from the moving body towards the center of curvature along which the body is moving and let the body move around in the circular path with uniform motion. It keeps the body moving in the circular path around the center of curvature by canceling the centrifugal effect. Thus we can say the centripetal force is the real force that acts on the body moving in a circular path and prevent it from breaking the uniform circular motion and fly out from the rotating path. The most common example of acting of centripetal force is our earth rotating around the sun. The artificial satellites orbiting around the earth follow the principles of centripetal force. If the centripetal force increases than the centrifugal force, the object is directed and can be pulled towards the center of curvature and if the centripetal force is less than the centrifugal force than the object can be pushed out of the circular path-breaking the circular motion.
