A ball whirls on a string at a steady speed. The net force on it points at the center of its circle, at every instant. A net force with a job this common gets its own name.
What is the net inward force called?
You have seen that an object in uniform circular motion always has a net force pointing toward the circle's center.
Centripetal means center-seeking, the same root you met in centripetal acceleration.
On the whirled ball, the string supplies the inward force: the inward pull of the string on the ball is the ball's centripetal force.
The name tells you the direction and the job: the net force that points at the center and holds the object on its circle.
A skater circles a pole at a steady speed, holding a rope tied to the pole. The rope's inward force on her is the net force on her. Is that inward force her centripetal force?
No circular motion, no centripetal force. An object moving in a straight line, or sitting still, has none.
A train brakes hard on a straight track. The net force on it points backward along the track. Is that net force a centripetal force?
A horse canters around a circular pen at a steady speed. The net force on it points at the pen's center. What is that net force called?
The horse moves on a circle at a steady speed, so the net force on it points toward the center.
The net inward force on an object in uniform circular motion is called the centripetal force.
The net inward force on the horse is called its centripetal force.
Jasper says: an object in uniform circular motion always has a centripetal force on it. Is he correct?
A mountain biker rides a flat circular turn at a steady speed. Which of these is her centripetal force?
In which of these situations is there a centripetal force on the go-kart?
What is the net inward force on an object in uniform circular motion called?