Eli5: How does centripetal force work?

Question

Eli5: How does centripetal force work?

In: 2

Answer 1

Centripetal force is just a force that is pulling something toward the center of a circle. Depending on what you’re talking about, that force can be gravity (in the case of planets in orbit) or something like the tension in a rope (if you’re swinging something around on a rope). In either case, there is a force pulling toward the center of the circle, and centripetal force is just the word that describes that concept.