Circular Motion (Centrifugal force effect)

Question 1

Explain how the spin cycle of a washing machine can remove most of the water from the clothes?

Answer 1

The holes in the spin cycle remove most of the water from the water droplets. Therefore, the water droplets are small enough to go through the holes going in a tangential velocity.

Question 2

If centrifugal force is not actually real… why do you feel pushed against the right side door when a car turns left?

Answer 2

This is because of inertia. Inertia makes us try to follow a straight path but the wall pushes away from the straight path.

Question 3

Why do the terms “inertia” and “tangent path” help explain the “centrifugal force effect”?

Answer 3

Centrifugal force isn’t a real force. Inertia will try to make all objects try and go in a tangent path (straight line) but when there is a wall in the way, this causes the wall to push away from the straight path.