What is centripetal force?

For an object moving in a circular path, the centripetal force is any force which acts towards the centre of this circular path. This means it acts perpendicular to the direction of forward motion.

It is important to remember it is not an additional physical force like gravity or friction. It is simply a TYPE of force, which may be provided by gravity or friction. For example, for a planet orbiting the Sun, the centripetal force is provided by gravity, as gravity is the force acting towards the centre of the orbit.

The formula for centripetal force is:

F= mv2/r = momega^2*r

where m is the object mass, v is the linear velocity, omega is the angular velocity and r is the radius of the motion.

BH
Answered by Ben H. Physics tutor

5650 Views

See similar Physics GCSE tutors

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

A tennis ball is hit over a net with a speed of 45ms^-1 and has a mass of 30g. Calculate the kinetic energy of tennis ball.


Can you explain what the flux of a light source is?


A car horn has a frequency of 680 Hz and a wavelength of 50cm. Calculate the speed of the sound waves produced by the car horn:


A heater uses energy from a laptop computer to keep a mug of coffee hot. Energy is transferred to the coffee at the bottom of the mug. Explain how a convection current is set up in the coffee.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences