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Re: Centrifugal force



On 11/18/2003 01:33 AM, John Clement wrote:

> I think that anyone who is trained to get students to associate
> all forces as being due to interactions, will then assert that
> centrifugal forces do not exist.

By that logic, one would assert that gravitational
forces do not exist.

Remember, the centrifugal field is as real as the
gravitational field. No more, no less.

> The idea of a pseudoforce or perhaps a more modern word virtual
> force is an advanced topic which is far beyond anything that
> should be treated in the intro. mechanics courses.

By that logic, gravitation should not treated in the
intro mechanics courses.

> I would classify a disbelief in centrifugal acceleration as a
> minor misconception when compared to other concepts.

It is the sort of misconception that causes students
to think that the teacher is lazy or crazy.

The students *know* centrifugal effects exist. It's
good that they know this.

It's one thing to say the rotating reference frames are
beyond the scope of the course, or that fluid dynamics
is beyond the scope of the course, or that nuclear
physics is beyond the scope of the course.

But to leap from there to saying that centrifugal fields
do not exist, fluids do not exist, and radioactivity does
not exist ... that would be the epitome of bad pedagogy.