Centrifugal force Totally Explained

Everything about Centrifugal Force totally explained

In classical mechanics, centrifugal force (from Latin centrum "center" and fugere "to flee") is a fictitious force that is associated with the centrifugal effect, which is an apparent acceleration that appears when describing physics in a rotating reference frame; centrifugal force appears to act on anything with mass considered in such a frame. Centrifugal force is considered to be a fictitious force (or pseudo force) because it's an artifact of acceleration of the rotational frame. As a result, this force doesn't appear in Newton's laws of motion for an inertial frame of reference (in which the motion of an object is explained by the real impressed forces), because this force doesn't originate as a physical interaction between real objects. However, when Newton's laws are applied in the rotating frame (instead of an inertial frame), they must be modified by adding the centrifugal force and other pseudo-forces such as the Coriolis force, in order to make the same physical predictions as made by Newton's laws alone in an inertial frame. The centrifugal force depends only on the position and the mass of the object and is always oriented away from the axis of rotation of the rotating frame, whereas the Coriolis force depends on the velocity and mass of the object but is independent of its position.
In certain situations a rotating reference frame has advantages over an inertial reference frame. For example, a rotating frame of reference is more convenient for description of what happens on the inside of a car going around a corner, or inside a centrifuge, or in the artificial gravity of a rotating space station.
Colloquially, the term "centrifugal force" or "centrifugal tendency" is sometimes also used to refer to any influence, real or metaphorical, pushing away from a center; this article discusses only the centrifugal force related to rotating reference frames.

Uniformly rotating reference frames

Rotating reference frames are used in physics, mechanics, or meteorology whenever they're the most convenient frame to use.
The laws of physics are the same in all inertial frames. But a rotating reference frame isn't an inertial frame, so the laws of physics are transformed from the inertial frame to the rotating frame. For example, assuming a constant rotation speed, transformation is achieved by adding to every object two coordinate accelerations that correct for the constant rotation of the coordinate axes. The vector equations describing these accelerations are:
ť r^2 + C (where

C

is a constant). See Figure 6.
   Similarly, the potential energy of the centrifugal force is often used in the calculation of the height of the tides on the Earth (where the centrifugal force is included to account for the rotation of the Earth around the Earth-Moon center of mass).
   The principle of operation of the centrifuge also can be simply understood in terms of this expression for the potential energy, which shows that it's favorable energetically when the volume far from the axis of rotation is occupied by the heavier substance.
   The Coriolis force has no equivalent potential, as it acts perpendicular to the velocity vector and hence rotates the direction of motion, but doesn't change the energy of a body.

Applications

The operations of numerous common rotating mechanical systems are most easily conceptualized in terms of centrifugal force. For example:

A centrifugal governor regulates the speed of an engine by using spinning masses that move radially, adjusting the throttle, as the engine changes speed. In the reference frame of the spinning masses, centrifugal force causes the radial movement.
A centrifugal clutch is used in small engine-powered devices such as chain saws, go-karts and model helicopters. It allows the engine to start and idle without driving the device but automatically and smoothly engages the drive as the engine speed rises. Inertial drum brake ascenders used in rock climbing and the inertia reels used in many automobile seat belts operate on the same principle.
Centrifugal forces can be used to generate artificial gravity, as in proposed designs for rotating space stations. The Mars Gravity Biosatellite will study the effects of Mars-level gravity on mice with gravity simulated in this way.
Spin casting and centrifugal casting are production methods that uses centrifugal force to disperse liquid metal or plastic throughout the negative space of a mold.
Centrifuges are used in science and industry to separate substances. In the reference frame spinning with the centrifuge, the centrifugal force induces a hydrostatic pressure gradient in fluid-filled tubes oriented perpendicular to the axis of rotation, giving rise to large buoyant forces which push low-density particles inward. Elements or particles denser than the fluid move outward under the influence of the centrifugal force. This is effectively Archimedes' principle as generated by centrifugal force as opposed to being generated by gravity.
Some amusement park rides make use of centrifugal forces. For instance, a Gravitron’s spin forces riders against a wall and allows riders to be elevated above the machine’s floor in defiance of Earth’s gravity.
Nevertheless, all of these systems can also be described without requiring the concept of centrifugal force, in terms of motions and forces in an inertial frame, at the cost of taking somewhat more care in the consideration of forces and motions within the system.

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