CENTRIFUGAL VS CENTRIPETAL
There’s a dizzying difference between these forces of circular motion
WORDS JIM LUCAS
Centripetal force keeps the carriage on a roller coaster moving in a circular motion around a loop
Hammer throwers utilise centripetal acceleration to launch metal balls
Centrifugal force is ubiquitous in our daily lives, but is it what we think it is? We experience it when we round a corner in a car or when an aeroplane banks into a turn. We see it in the spin cycle of a washing machine or when people ride on a carousel. One day it may even provide artificial gravity for spaceships and space stations. But centrifugal force is often confused with its counterpart, centripetal force, because they are so closely related – essentially two sides of the same coin.