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Tom Henderson
One of the deadliest misconceptions among beginning physics students is that centrifugal motion (away from the center) is a "force". Many students confuse the outdated centrifugal "force" definition with centripetal force. The author gives an in-depth explanation supplemented with two animations to illustrate why the velocity vector is tangential to the circle and how this relates to the direction of the force on an object moving in a circular pathway.
AAAS Benchmark Alignments (2008 Version)4. The Physical Setting
4F. Motion
This resource is part of 2 Physics Front Topical Units.
Topic: Kinematics: The Physics of Motion
Unit Title: Circular Motion One of the most deeply entrenched misconceptions among beginning physics students is that centrifugal motion (away from the center) is a "force" in itself. In this tutorial, part of Physics Classroom, the author explains why the direction of force is viewed from an inertial frame of reference in a classical mechanics course and thus why centrifugal motion is not a force in a Newtonian framework. Link to Unit:
Topic: Dynamics: Forces and Motion
Unit Title: Rotational Dynamics One of the most deeply entrenched misconceptions among beginning physics students is that centrifugal motion (away from the center) is a "force" in itself. In this resource, part of Physics Classroom, the author explains why the direction of force is viewed from an inertial frame of reference in a classical mechanics course and thus why centrifugal motion is not a force in a Newtonian framework. Link to Unit:
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<a href="https://www.compadre.org/precollege/items/detail.cfm?ID=4806">Henderson, Tom. Physics Classroom: The Forbidden F-Word. December 12, 2004.</a>
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T. Henderson, (1996), WWW Document, (https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/circles/U6L1d.cfm).
AJP/PRST-PER
T. Henderson, Physics Classroom: The Forbidden F-Word (1996), <https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/circles/U6L1d.cfm>.
APA Format
Henderson, T. (2004, December 12). Physics Classroom: The Forbidden F-Word. Retrieved March 19, 2025, from https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/circles/U6L1d.cfm
Chicago Format
Henderson, Tom. Physics Classroom: The Forbidden F-Word. December 12, 2004. https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/circles/U6L1d.cfm (accessed 19 March 2025).
MLA Format
Henderson, Tom. Physics Classroom: The Forbidden F-Word. 1996. 12 Dec. 2004. 19 Mar. 2025 <https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/circles/U6L1d.cfm>.
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@misc{
Author = "Tom Henderson",
Title = {Physics Classroom: The Forbidden F-Word},
Volume = {2025},
Number = {19 March 2025},
Month = {December 12, 2004},
Year = {1996}
}
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%A Tom Henderson %T Physics Classroom: The Forbidden F-Word %D December 12, 2004 %U https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/circles/U6L1d.cfm %O text/html
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%0 Electronic Source %A Henderson, Tom %D December 12, 2004 %T Physics Classroom: The Forbidden F-Word %V 2025 %N 19 March 2025 %8 December 12, 2004 %9 text/html %U https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/circles/U6L1d.cfm Disclaimer: ComPADRE offers citation styles as a guide only. We cannot offer interpretations about citations as this is an automated procedure. Please refer to the style manuals in the Citation Source Information area for clarifications.
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The AIP Style presented is based on information from the AIP Style Manual. The APA Style presented is based on information from APA Style.org: Electronic References. The Chicago Style presented is based on information from Examples of Chicago-Style Documentation. The MLA Style presented is based on information from the MLA FAQ. This resource is stored in 14 shared folders. You must login to access shared folders. Physics Classroom: The Forbidden F-Word:
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Need to see it? View the Inertia and the Right Hand Turn animation from the Multimedia Physics Studios. relation by Tom Henderson
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Visit The Physics Classroom's Flickr Galleries and enjoy a visual overview of the topic of circular motion relation by Tom Henderson
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Think you get the idea? Try the Race Track activity from the Shockwave Studios. relation by Tom Henderson
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