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When does an observer's frame of reference become non-inertial?
AWhen it is at rest on the ground
BWhen it moves at a steady velocity
CWhen it is accelerating or rotating
DWhen it contains a magnetic field
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. When it is accelerating or rotating
1. Fictitious forces appear when measurements are made from a frame that is not inertial.
2. A frame stops being inertial once it accelerates or rotates.
3. A jet down the runway, a turning car and a merry go round are all such frames.
4. A frame at rest or moving at constant velocity stays inertial, and no fictitious force appears.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 6 "Uniform Circular Motion and Gravitation", section 6.4 Fictitious Forces and Non-inertial Frames: The Coriolis Force_
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