| | Definition: | | The apparent force which seems to pull an object outward when the object is spun around in a circle. In reality, it is the centripetal force which keeps the object rotating around in the circle when the object's inertia makes the object inclined to move in a straight tangential line away from the circle. The centrifugal force does not really exist and, in a strictly physical sense, the term is a misnomer. However, the term is useful to biologists and chemists who are using centrifuges. |
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