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What name is given to any net force that causes uniform circular motion?
AA frictional force
BA gravitational force
CA normal contact force
DA centripetal force
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. A centripetal force
1. Centripetal force is not a new kind of force with its own separate origin.
2. It is the name for whatever net force happens to be holding an object on a circular path.
3. Tension, gravity, friction or a normal force can each play that role in different situations.
4. So the term describes the job the force is doing, not the force's physical source.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 6 "Uniform Circular Motion and Gravitation", section 6.3 Centripetal Force_
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