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Re: centrifugal force



Ludwik asked:

Is it correct to say that artificial gravity exists only for
objects which are forced to rotate together with the pipe (like in a
centrifuge), it does not exist for all objects inside a rotating empty pipe?

Hmm... seems to me we went over this recently:
http://physics.usna.edu/physics/faculty/mungan/Scholarship/SpaceStation.pdf

I would say the answer is... it depends! Namely are you going to view
things from the point of view of somebody rotating with the pipe or
someone in an inertial frame? If you mean the latter, then there is
an artificial gravity even for objects inside the empty space. For
example, two people inside the pipe could play a game of catch and
the thrown ball would *approximately* follow parabolic motion as
though gravity were acting on it. Of course, how good the
approximation depends on how big the change in radius of the ball is
during its flight. As Mark commented, things get interesting when you
get near the center of the pipe.
--
Carl E. Mungan, Asst. Prof. of Physics 410-293-6680 (O) -3729 (F)
U.S. Naval Academy, Stop 9C, Annapolis, MD 21402-5026
mungan@usna.edu http://physics.usna.edu/physics/faculty/mungan/