centripetal force

n. The component of force acting on a body in curvilinear motion that is directed toward the center of curvature or axis of rotation. Centripetal force is necessary for an object to move with circular motion.

centripetal force

n (General Physics) a force that acts inwards on any body that rotates or moves along a curved path and is directed towards the centre of curvature of the path or the axis of rotation. Compare centrifugal force

centrip′etal force′

n. the force, acting upon a body moving along a curved path, that is directed toward the center of curvature of the path and constrains the body to the path. [1700–10]

centripetal forceCentripetal force causes the ball being whirled at the end of a string to move in a circle about the person, and not to fly out and away along the path of inertia.

cen·trip·e·tal force

(sĕn-trĭp′ĭ-tl) The force that pulls an object moving in a circle toward the center of the circle and causes the object to follow a curving path. Earth's gravity acts as a centripetal force on the moon.Did You Know? In one popular carnival ride, people stand with their backs against the wall of a cylindrical chamber. The chamber spins rapidly and then the floor drops out, but the riders remain pressed against the wall and don't fall down. Why? Most people would say that the reason people "stick" to the wall is because a centrifugal, or outward, force is pushing them against it. In actuality, there is no outward force, no matter how strongly the people on the ride may think they feel one. In fact, it's just the opposite: the riders are really subject to an inward, or centripetal, force. As the ride spins, it forces the riders to travel in a circle. Objects (including people) in motion tend to travel in a straight line at constant speed unless they're acted on by some external force. To make an object travel along a curved path, you have to keep forcing it toward the "inside" of the curve. The walls of the ride do just that, pushing the riders toward the center; the friction between the riders and the wall holds them up, so they seem to defy gravity.

centripetal force

A force that acts radially inward on an object moving in a circular path.

Thesaurus

Noun

centripetal force - the inward force on a body moving in a curved path around another bodyforce - (physics) the influence that produces a change in a physical quantity; "force equals mass times acceleration"centrifugal force - the outward force on a body moving in a curved path around another body

Translations

centripetal force

a force that acts inwards on any body that rotates or moves along a curved path and is directed towards the centre of curvature of the path or the axis of rotation

Centripetal force

The inward force required to keep a particle or an object moving in a circular path. It can be shown that a particle moving in a circular path has an acceleration toward the center of the circle along a radius. See Acceleration

This radial acceleration, called the centripetal acceleration, is such that, if a particle has a linear or tangential velocity v when moving in a circular path of radius R, the centripetal acceleration is v²/R. If the particle undergoing the centripetal acceleration has a mass M, then by Newton's second law of motion the centripetal force F_C is in the direction of the acceleration. This is expressed by the equation below, where ω is the constant angular velocity and is equal to v/R. From Newton's laws of motion it follows that the natural motion of an object is one with constant speed in a straight line, and that a force is necessary if the object is to depart from this type of motion. Whenever an object moves in a curve, a centripetal force is necessary. In circular motion the tangential speed is constant but is changing direction at the constant rate of ω, so the centripetal force along the radius is the only force involved.

centripetal force

A force, such as gravitation, that causes a body to deviate from motion in a straight line to motion along a curved path, the force being directed toward the center of curvature of the body's motion. The force reacting against this constraint, i.e. the force equal in magnitude but opposite in direction, is the centrifugal force. The centrifugal force results from the inertia of all solid bodies, i.e. their resistance to acceleration, and unlike gravitational or electrical forces, cannot be considered a real force. The centripetal force is equal to the product of the mass of the body and its centripetal acceleration. The latter is the acceleration toward the center, and for a body moving in a circle at a constant angular velocity ω it is given by ω²r , where r is the radius.

Centripetal Force

the force that acts on a mass point in the direction of the principal normal to the point’s trajectory and is directed toward the center of curvature. If the point moves in a circle, the centripetal force is directed toward the center of the circle. Numerically, the centripetal force that acts on a point of mass m moving with a velocity v is equal to mv²/ρ, where ρ is the radius of curvature of the point’s trajectory. Under the action of a centripetal force, the motion of a free mass point is curvilinear. During rectilinear motion, the centripetal force is equal to zero.

centripetal force

[‚sen′trip·əd·əl ′fȯrs] (mechanics) The radial force required to keep a particle or object moving in a circular path, which can be shown to be directed toward the center of the circle.

centripetal force

centripetal force

centripetal force

centrip′etal force′

cen·trip·e·tal force

centripetal force

centripetal force

centripetal force

Centripetal force

centripetal force

Centripetal Force

centripetal force

centripetal force

Antonyms for centripetal force

noun the inward force on a body moving in a curved path around another body

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Antonyms