Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew Lawrence
No. Such. Thing.
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In Newtonian mechanics,
the term centrifugal force is used to refer to one of two distinct concepts: an inertial force (also called a "fictitious" force) observed in a non-inertial reference frame,
and a reaction force corresponding to a centripetal force1.
Centripetal force is the force exerted
by the wheel rim on the balancing weight, pushing the balancing weight toward the center of the wheel. It's what makes the balancing weight following the circular path.
Centrifugal force is the reaction force exerted
by the balancing weight on the wheel rim in response to the centripetal force. It is a real force.
So Ksafin's only mistake was that he should have said "centripetal force" instead of "centrifugal force", because he was referring to a force
acting on the weight.
1wikipedia