When going around a roundabout, why do I feel a force pulling me outwards?

The force pulling you outwards is what is called fictional force. Actually, there is a force pulling the car inwards and since Newton's Laws mean that you want to keep moving forwards rather than going around the bend, it feels as though you are being thrown outwards. You might then ask what is causing the inward force that acts on the car. There must be a force to make the velocity of the car change direction (around the curve). This is called the centripetal force and it is key to circular motion. In the case of the car, this force is provided by the friction between the car tires and the road. But if you swung a pendulum around your head, it would be provided by the tension in the string.

JC
Answered by Jasmine C. Physics tutor

6707 Views

See similar Physics GCSE tutors

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Why do we use non-renewable energy?


Ann and Bob play on a uniform seesaw. The seesaw is 4m long and Ann and Bob weigh 600N and 800N respectively. If both Ann and Bob start at one end of the seesaw and Bob starts to walk up the seesaw at 2m/s, after how long will the seesaw turn?


What is electrical current?


A block of mass 5kg is placed on the end of a meter rule on the end of a table. Calculate the moment that is produced by the block.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning