PSEUDO FORCE

Pseudo Force
A fictitious force, also called a pseudo force or
d'Alembert force , is an apparent force that acts
on all masses in a non-inertial frame of reference,
such as a rotating reference frame. The force F
does not arise from any physical interaction but
rather from the acceleration a of the non-inertial
reference frame itself. Due to Newton's second
law F = ma, fictitious forces are always
proportional to the mass m being acted upon.
 Detection of non-inertial
reference frame
Observers inside a closed box that
is moving with a constant velocity
cannot detect their own motion;
however, observers within an
accelerating reference frame can
detect that they are in a non-
inertial reference frame from the
fictitious forces that arise. They
can even map out the magnitude
and direction of the acceleration
at every point with a plumb bob
and a protractor. Another example
of the detection of a non-inertial
reference frame is the way a
Foucault pendulum precesses.
 Examples of pseudo
forces
CIRCULAR MOTION
A similar effect occurs in circular motion, circular
for the standpoint of an inertial frame of
reference attached to the road, with the
fictitious force called the centrifugal force,
fictitious when seen from a non-inertial frame of
reference. If a car is moving at constant speed
around a circular section of road, the occupants
will feel pushed outside, away from the center of
the turn.
GRAVITY AS A PSEUDO FORCE

All fictitious forces are proportional to the mass

of the object upon which they act, which is also
true for gravity. This led Albert Einstein to
wonder whether gravity was a fictitious force as
well. He noted that a freefalling observer in a
closed box would not be able to detect the force
of gravity; hence, freefalling reference frames
are equivalent to an inertial reference frame (the
equivalence principle)
 ACCELERATION IN A STRAIGHT LINE
When a car accelerates hard, the common human
response is to feel "pushed back into the seat." In
an inertial frame of reference attached to the
road, there is no physical force moving the rider
backward. However, in the rider's non-inertial
reference frame attached to the accelerating
car, there is a backward fictitious force.
We mention two possible ways of analyzing the problem:
1. From the viewpoint of an inertial reference frame with
constant velocity matching the initial motion of the car, the
car is accelerating. In order for the passenger to stay
inside the car, a force must be exerted on him. This force
is exerted by the seat, which has started to move forward
with the car and compressed against the passenger until it
transmits the full force to keep the passenger inside. Thus,
the passenger is accelerating in this frame, due to the
unbalanced force of the seat.
2. From the point of view of the interior of the car, an
accelerating reference frame, there is a fictitious force
pushing the passenger backwards, with magnitude equal to
the mass of the passenger times the acceleration of the
car. This force pushes the passenger back into the seat,
until the seat compresses and provides an equal and
opposite force. Thereafter, the passenger is stationary in
this frame, because the fictitious force and the (real) force
of the seat are balanced.