The so-called centrifugal force experienced by a passenger on a turning bus is

  • A. a real force acting outwards on the passenger
  • B. the reaction to the passenger's weight
  • C. an apparent force arising because the passenger is in a rotating, non inertial frame
  • D. always larger than the centripetal force

Explanation

In the ground frame the passenger simply continues in a straight line by inertia while the bus turns beneath them, so no outward force is needed to explain the motion. The outward push is felt only because the observer is accelerating with the bus, which makes it a fictitious or pseudo force. The genuine force in the situation is the inward one supplied by the seat and the floor.

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