Answer to Question #81550 in Physics for Lisa

Question

If you are on merry-go-round, which motion will you experience TURN or PULL? Explain

Answer 1

Assume you are riding on a merry-go-round. A reference frame in which you are stationary, i.e. a frame that is moving with you as you are moving along a circular path, is also an accelerating frame. This frame is moving with constant speed, but the direction of its velocity is constantly changing. You are sitting still on your seat while the merry-go-round is turning. But something seems to be pulling you towards the outside, away from the center. You experience a fictitious force, called the centrifugal force.