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kernedge
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Centrifugal force is *perfectly* valid, and I\'m getting sick of seeing, in this wiki, the term centripetal force used where centrifugal force is the correct term. The two are not interchangeable: the force felt by a test mass in a rotating reference frame is centrifugal, the centripetal force is the one responsible for *keeping the mass rotating*, pointing *toward* the center of rotation. In the case of a ringworld, for example, the artificial gravity felt by the inhabitants is centrifugal force, whereas the *normal* that acts on their feet from the ground is the centripetal force. In a rotating reference frame, these two force cancel to keep the mass at rest, in an inertial reference frame, the centripetal force keeps the inhabitants in a circular trajectory. Both views are valid, but *only* centrifugal force can be said to be responsible for artificial gravity or to cause stresses on the ringworld structure. Do not be fooled by the \
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I\\\'m getting a bit sick of seeing, in this wiki, the term centripetal force used where centrifugal force is the correct term. The two are not interchangeable: the force felt by a test mass in a rotating reference frame is centrifugal, the centripetal force is the one responsible for *keeping the mass rotating*, pointing *toward* the center of rotation. In the case of a ringworld, for example, the artificial gravity felt by the inhabitants is centrifugal force, whereas the *normal* that acts on their feet from the ground is the centripetal force. In a rotating reference frame, these two force cancel to keep the mass at rest, in an inertial reference frame, the centripetal force keeps the inhabitants in a circular trajectory. Both views are valid, but *only* centrifugal force can be said to be responsible for artificial gravity or to cause stresses on the ringworld structure. Do not be fooled by the \\\"ficticious\\\" - as any military pilot can attest, it is quite real.
