Centrifugal force is the force that?

Answer 1

Centrifugal force is the outward force of a rotating object. The opposite force is the

centripetal force which maintains the object in it's rotational position. In the case of

an orbiting satellite it's rotational speed (revolutions per time period) creates the

centrifugal force required to overcome the gravitational pull (centripetal force) of the

body it is orbiting.

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The first answer is a neat, tidy, well-written summary of perhaps the most popular

misconception in all of elementary Physics. Centrifugal force is a concept made up

to account for the sensation of force that we perceive when we move in a curve.

There need not be any outward force on a rotating object, and in general there is none.

Centripetal force is real. It's the force required to bend the path of a moving abject

away from a straight line. There is no outward force on an orbiting satellite. No force

is required, and none exists, to 'overcome' the centripetal gravitational pull. In fact,

if there were a force that overcame the gravitational centripetal force, then the

forces on the satellite would sum to zero and it would travel in a straight line.