Glossary · term
Centripetal acceleration
Mechanics
- Aliases
- centripetal, centrifugal
- Domain
- Mechanics
Definition
The inward acceleration of anything moving on a curve, v²/r, needed just to keep turning at constant speed. Supplied by gravity for an orbit, by the road for a car, by the tension in a string. "Centrifugal" is the same thing seen from the turning frame.
Open on the Glossary shelf — the interactive card, the filters, and everything alongside it.