Fictitious Forces

KENNETH H. FALLER

When driving at a good speed around a turn in the road, have you ever felt a strong force pushing you to one side, maybe overturning a bag of groceries in the back seat?

Have you ever wondered where this force came from?

Natural scientists wondered about this question many years ago, and eventually came to the conclusion that this was not a real force at all, but a fictitious force. Someone will immediately object that this cannot be true, because we know all about centrifugal force, and it must be real because everyone can see and feel its effects.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

"I wonder if I know enough"