Discussion 6: Centripetal force

Please read the discussions attached. Write a half page on one and half page on the other. Please label and keep them separate. Tell briefly what you liked about it, if you would add anything, questions, so forth. Please make sure you understand the physics involved.

Discussion 1:

Centripetal force is necessary to make the body move along any sort of curved path. It is how we describe the motion. Centrifugal is different and includes the inertia of direction idea. With both those definitions more understood, we can examine a washing machine. The machine is operated by electrical energy and that is the energy that helps make the water go around and around. As this is happening, there is no applied centripetal force but there is centrifugal. The water moves away from the center of the washing machine and pulled towards the wall of the tub. WIth that said, the level against the wall would be higher than at the center of the machine now. 

We define centrifugal as mRw squared. Knowing and understanding this equation we can notice that the greater the mass, the smaller the radius and vice versa for if the mass is less the radius is bigger. This helps explain why water in the clothes would move away from the middle of the machine and clothes in the middle of the machine. so when the clothes go into the dryer the water left in the clothes moves towards the wall of the tub and the clothes dry faster and easier.  Also why our clothes do not come out of the washer totally drenched in soap and water. 

Discussion 2: 

Centripetal force is the necessary force needed to move along in a curve. Centrifugal force deals with the inertia of the direction. In a washing machine, electrical energy is used to supply the water and spin. Here is where the centrifugal force is applied when the water wants to move away from the center as it spins around from the applied force. Here, the clothes are going around in a curved path. Using the formula mRw^2 helps explain how when the mass is greater (more clothes and water) the smaller the radius (length to center of machine). This is how the clothes are washed, and the water comes out of the clothes by the “spin cycle” towards the end when the machine picks up and centrifugal force forces the water out of the clothes.  The clothes are then placed in the dryer where the same process takes place except heat is added. The water is forced out of the clothes to dry them and moving them towards the wall of the dryer.