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Re: [Phys-l] Centrifugal redux





John D. wrote in part:
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On 03/20/2009 06:58 AM, chuck britton wrote:

Can't I say - that I am ALWAYS in my OWN ref frame?

You can choose whatever frame you like.

It is not, however, a _free_ choice, since it comes at a cost.

If you choose anything other than a Newtonian frame, Newton's
laws (in their usual form) do not apply. To say the same thing
the other way, if you are willing to deal with non-Newtonian
equations of motion, then using a frame tied to your arbitrarily
accelerated and/or rotating self is a viable choice.
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I'd add the proviso that you may choose whatever frame you like to do calculations; however, you may not choose whatever frame you like as your rest-frame. Or perhaps more precisely stated, you may not choose whatever frame you like for a rigid objects Center-of-Mass rest frame. That is uniquely determined.