For procedures, see your mechanical laboratory manual.

Title: Centrifugal force experiment


Aim

To determine the force that tends to move out of a body towards the axis of rotation.

Theory

Centrifugal force is an inertial force that appears to act on all objects when viewed in a rotating frame of reference.

Centrifugal force is an outward force apparent in a rotating reference frame. It does not exist when a system is described relative to an inertial frame of reference.

Centrifugal force is defined as "the apparent force that is felt by an object moving in a curved path that acts outwardly away from the center of rotation." Since Earth rotates around a fixed axis, the direction of centrifugal force is always outward away from the axis, opposite to the direction of gravity at the equator; at Earth’s poles, it is zero.

Applications

1. A Centrifugal Governor
2. A Centrifugal Clutch
3. Generation of artificial gravity
4. Centrifuges
5. Amusement rides
6. Washing machine
7. Principle of a helicopter leaving the earth's surface.

References

1. What Are Centrifugal & Centripetal Forces? livescience.com
2. Centrifugal Force, wikipedia.org
3. Centrifugal Force, sciencedirect.com