centrifugal force

Definition of centrifugal force

: the apparent force that is felt by an object moving in a curved path that acts outwardly away from the center of rotation — compare centripetal force

Examples of centrifugal force in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In the first experiment, the primary force acting on the ant raft is centrifugal force, per Ko, while in the second, with the vortex, the raft experiences the shearing force. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "The physics behind how fire ants band together into robust floating “rafts”," 8 Dec. 2019 Using water and the basics of centrifugal force, the scientists were able to overcome any leakage by creating a high-speed, rotating ring of water that could maintain the vacuum, despite surface restrictions. — Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, "Suction Cups Kinda Suck. This Wall-Climbing Robot Could Make Them Better," 21 Jan. 2020 Santa, meanwhile, will be subjected to centrifugal forces 17,500.06 times greater than gravity. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The Air Force Redesigned Santa’s Sleigh for Hypersonic Speed," 23 Dec. 2019 Drag near the ground slows the rotation, reducing the centrifugal force pushing the air outward. — Jason M. Forthofer, Scientific American, "Can Scientists Predict Fire Tornadoes?," 20 Nov. 2019 The cord is able to stand up on its own by centrifugal force, allowing a car to travel along the cable, directly from Earth to a space station. — Fox News, "Space 'elevator' to the moon may soon be a reality," 14 Oct. 2019 And while its centrifugal force was impressive, its metaphorical momentum propelled it across the Internet as the ultimate technically-inanimate representative of our current political crisis. — BostonGlobe.com, "that instantly took the lead for GIF of the Year for its sheer versatility. There were these adorable kids using," 5 Oct. 2019 Overton at the time said the spinning was caused by a combination of wind from the helicopter's propellers, the ground below and the centrifugal force of the helicopter. — Brieanna J. Frank, azcentral, "Woman who spun out of control in helicopter rescue 'feared for her life,' files $2M notice of claim," 27 Nov. 2019 From there, water is removed by centrifugal force, resulting in a fresh, authentic EVOO. — Bon Appétit, "4 Things Registered Dietitians Look For In A Quality Olive Oil," 10 Oct. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'centrifugal force.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near centrifugal force

centrifugal clutch

centrifugal compressor

centrifugal field

centrifugal force

centrifugal governor

centrifugal machine

centrifugal pump

Statistics for centrifugal force

Last Updated

12 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Centrifugal force.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/centrifugal%20force. Accessed 22 Feb. 2020.

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More Definitions for centrifugal force

centrifugal force

noun

English Language Learners Definition of centrifugal force

physics : a force that causes an object moving in a circular path to move out and away from the center of its path

See the full definition for centrifugal force in the English Language Learners Dictionary

centrifugal force

cen·trif·u·gal force | \ sen-ˈtri-fyə-gəl- \

Kids Definition of centrifugal force

: the force that tends to cause a thing or parts of a thing to go outward from a center of rotation

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