SciBites: The Force That Does Not Exist

Science
Written By Nathan Gabriel S. Hao

Many are familiar with the mysterious “Force” present in the world of Star Wars–wielders of which can move objects, run at superhuman speed, and even shoot lightning. However, another force belies the world of the real. You feel it when your car unexpectedly turns and you jerk to the opposite side, or as you are pressed onto your seat at a roller coaster loop-de-loop: centrifugal force. 

First termed by Christiaan Huygens, centrifugal force has been described by such great minds as Isaac Newton, Gottfried Leibniz, and Robert Hooke. Scientists have even devised a formula for its computation, and this force is still medically used today to separate blood in a centrifuge.

Nevertheless, despite seeming authentic, centrifugal force shares a key characteristic with the Force harnessed by the Jedi and Sith: they are both fictitious.

To clarify, while the sensation you experience as you lean from side to side on a windy mountain road is real, it may not be what it seems. In essence, according to Newton, every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and objects in motion stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force (inertia). As your vehicle steers to one side, it generates what Newton describes as centripetal force, which keeps the car turning and is directed in the direction of your turn. The opposing force that causes you to lean, therefore, is just your body’s resistance to the turn since it wants to keep on a straight line. This reactive centrifugal force is not a separate phenomenon; it only exists as the aforementioned reaction to the centripetal force.

Nathan Gabriel S. Hao

I like fish 🐠

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