Centrifugal and centripetal forces are so confusing. Shouldn't this be called centrifugal as the object tries to move away from the center? Could we simply call this inertia? Looks like the object that tends to go in a straight line is simply forced into a circular motion by the wire. I'm so ignorant ☺
Your last sentence is correct - the mass would move in a straight line due to its inertia, but the tension in the wire pulls its path into a circle. Force toward the center = centripetal. There is almost never a centrifugal force. We just think about the force pulling toward the center of the circle and think there must be something pulling outward to balance it -- but it is not balanced, that's why the mass continually moves in a curving, circular path.
Centrifugal and centripetal forces are so confusing. Shouldn't this be called centrifugal as the object tries to move away from the center? Could we simply call this inertia? Looks like the object that tends to go in a straight line is simply forced into a circular motion by the wire. I'm so ignorant ☺
Your last sentence is correct - the mass would move in a straight line due to its inertia, but the tension in the wire pulls its path into a circle. Force toward the center = centripetal.
There is almost never a centrifugal force. We just think about the force pulling toward the center of the circle and think there must be something pulling outward to balance it -- but it is not balanced, that's why the mass continually moves in a curving, circular path.
@@williampeterson7749 Thank you for your explanation. This is obvious now.