For example, if a ball is attached to a string and released from a vertical height and then pivots around a point to initiate circular motion, tension is equal to centripetal motion.
If, on the other hand, a ball hands from a string and it’s hit in such a way that it travels in a vertical circle. Tension is not just equal to centripetal force.
When is tension equal to centripetal force, and when is it another value?
The scenarios above are taken from previous problems I’ve seen in class. I’m not sure if I’ve explained them as clearly as needed, but I think the general idea should be understood.
Best Answer
"Centripetal" is Latin for "towards the center." A centripetal force is not a particular type of force like a frictional force or a magnetic force. It's just a force that makes an object go in a circle. The word "centripetal" describes the direction of the force, not the type of force.
When a car drives around in circles on level ground, the centripetal force is a frictional force. When we whirl a ball around on a string, the centripetal force is a normal force of the string on the hook it's tied to, and the magnitude of this normal force is equal to the tension in the string. (Tension is not a type of force.)