centripetal force

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From: Mark Lawton (markslawton@hotmail.com)
Date: Thu Nov 21 2002 - 11:24:56 PST 

Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2002 11:24:56 -0800
Subject: centripetal force
From: Mark Lawton <markslawton@hotmail.com>
Message-ID: <BA027308.2D6B%markslawton@hotmail.com>

shannon,

I describe centrifugal force as the force that we humans use to describe the
feeling we get when we are forced to go in a circle by a centripetal force.
I STRESS that the centrifugal force does not exist. It is a construct.

On the other hand the centripetal force is the force that causes an object
(that otherwise would go in a straight line) to go in a circle. I say:

"The object wants to fly off straight. The force pulls it back in.
Again, The object wants to fly off straight. The force pulls it back in.
The resulting path of this wanting-to-fly-off and pulling-back-in is a
circle."

-Mark

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