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Student says: A satellite remains in orbit because the gravitational
force balances the centrifugal force.
Here are some possible responses for the teacher:
A. Yes, that is correct and I have nothing more that I can add.
B. Yes, that is correct, but I would also like you to be able to
explain matters from the point of view of a non-rotating observer, in
which case you may not refer to a "centrifugal force". The reason I
want you to be able to do this is that I suspect that your preference
for the use of the rotating frame at this point in your education
masks a fundamental misunderstanding of Newton's laws. But once you
can convince me that you can do this, then please see choice A,
above.
C. No, that is incorrect because....
As a teacher, I can see that depending on who I am teaching I might
choose A, but most of the time would choose B. Can anyone finish
choice C and then tell me why I should choose it?