What is centrifugal force?

 

 

               When you whirl something around your head on the end of a string it flies outwards, and appears to defy the force of gravity. Centrifugal force is acting to pull the object away. The object tries to fly off, and you are applying a force to retain it. This is called centripetal force. The centripetal force stops suddenly when you let go of the string, and centrifugal force makes the object fly away in a straight line. These forces are the reason why you can whirl a bucket of water around above your head without spilling a drop.

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