Page "Centrifugal force (rotating reference frame)" Paragraph 0

Centrifugal force ( from Latin centrum " center " and fugere " to flee ") can generally be any force directed outward relative to some origin.

More particularly, in classical mechanics, the centrifugal force is an outward force which arises when describing the motion of objects in a rotating reference frame.

Because a rotating frame is an example of a non-inertial reference frame, Newton's laws of motion do not accurately describe the dynamics within the rotating frame.

However, a rotating frame can be treated as if it were an inertial frame so that Newton's laws can be used if so-called fictitious forces ( also known as inertial or pseudo-forces ) are included in the sum of external forces on an object.

The centrifugal force is what is usually thought of as the cause for apparent outward movement like that of passengers in a vehicle turning a corner, of the weights in a centrifugal governor, and of particles in a centrifuge.

From the standpoint of an observer in an inertial frame, the effects can be explained as results of inertia without invoking the centrifugal force.

Centrifugal force should not be confused with centripetal force or the reactive centrifugal force, both of which are real forces independent of the frame of the observer.