Why is Centrifugal force “not real”? I remember my physics teacher in high school pushing that idea and understanding why back then, but I do not remember now. I also forgot so much about physics in general that a simple would be much appreciated!
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Imagine you’re sitting in your car and begin to accelerate forward. You feel yourself sinking backwards in your car seat.
If you closed your eyes you could easily believe that some mysterious “car force” is pulling you backwards into your seat. But if you open your eyes you’ll know there’s no force pulling you backwards. Instead your car seat is accelerating forwards and pushing you forward.
That’s what the centrifugal force is. If you’re sitting in a big rotating disc with walls (like the ones sometimes seen at amusement parks), you might think there’s some mysterious force pulling you outwards away from the ring, against the ring’s walls, but the reality is there is no such force, rather the ring walls are constantly accelerating you inwards to keep you spinning in a circle.
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