Centripetal Force Essay

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In his Principia, Newton gives definitions related to what he calls “the Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy”, the fifth of which is the definition of centripetal force. The given definition of centripetal force is “that by which bodies are drawn or impelled, or any way tend, towards a point as to a centre” (Newton, Def. V). Rather, centripetal force is the force that draws bodies toward a center, rather than away. One way to think about centripetal force is to consider gravity, as gravity is the force that pulls objects down towards the center of the Earth. If an object is thrown into the air, it will return down, for the centripetal force is acting upon it and drawing it towards the Earth’s center. Another way of considering centripetal force is to think of gravity on a much larger scale, for example the gravity that keeps the moon orbiting the Earth. Earth’s gravitational pull towards its center, the centripetal force, keeps the moon from continuing on the path of a right line, and instead keeps it orbiting in a circular fashion. When the moon would other wise move in a straight line, the centripetal force …show more content…

VII). This definition can be explained through Figure 2. In the figure, there are two bodies of the same size both with a gravitational pull, body A with center B, and body C with center D. A third body, E, is at unequal distances from centers B and D, with D being closer. Because the bodies are of the same size, but the center D is closer to E, the body E will be drawn towards body C. Accelerative quantity of centripetal force is proportional to the velocity that the force generates in a given time, and because the body E is closest to the center that is D, the accelerative quantity of centripetal force will be greater for the body C, and it will have a greater pull on body

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