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STAYING IN YOUR SEAT WITH
CENTRIPETAL FORCE
DEMO
MATERIALS:

Bucket of water

PROCEDURE:

Fill the bucket up 1/4 full with water. Swing the bucket in a vertical circle. Swing it fast enough so the water does not come out. Now slow down the swing until the water almost drops out of the bucket.

 



DEMO

This same demo can be duplicated a couple different ways.

Materials:

Plastic cups filled 1/4 full with water, strong string, wood or cafeteria service tray

Procedure:


DEMO


The coat hanger supplies the centripetal force to the inside of the circle to keep it going in a circle.

The Most Common Question and Answer About Centripetal Force

Q. "If I tie a rock onto the end of a string and swing it around my head in a horizontal circle, I feel the rock pulling my arm to the outside. This certainly feels like a centrifical force and not a centripetal force. What is going on here?"
A. The pull the person swinging feels is the pull to the inside against the inertia of the object spinning. Remember, in the absence of a force, a body will travel in a straight line. In order to turn the rock, a force to the inside must be applied. According to Newton's 3rd law of motion; for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
THE PASSENGER GOES TO THE OUTSIDE DUE TO THE LACK OF ENOUGH CENTRIPETAL FORCE -NOT THE APPLICATION OF A CENTRIFUGAL FORCE. This is true for anything whose motion changes from a circle to a straight line.

If you use or find this page useful or have any comments, please contact the author so maybe he'll do more. Author: Tony Wayne
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