Copyright © Michael Richmond.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Let's look at one example of centripetal forces in the real world. Pairs figure skaters sometimes perform a move known as the death spiral.
Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker perform the death
spiral at US Nationals in 2008.
Image courtesy of Matthew Stockman - Getty Images
To see a death spiral in action, look at this practice session by Kirsten Moore-Towers & Michael Marinaro.
Another example of centripetal forces in action comes from the midway. A common ride at some carnivals is called "The Cyclone": people walk into a cylindrical room and stand against the wall. The room starts to spin, and then the floor of the room drops away ... yet the people don't fall down. Instead, they remain in place, flat against the walls, feet no longer touching the floor.
Copyright © Michael Richmond.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.