Centripetal force is defined as the force that acts on a body moving in a circular motion and is directed toward the center.

• A. Force outward away from center
• B. Force which acts on a body moving in a circular or semi circular motion and is directed towards from the center of the axis of rotation.
• C. Force equal to momentum
• D. Force due to gravity

Answer: (B)

Centripetal force is the inward pull that provides the necessary inward acceleration for an object to move in a circle. The statement that best matches this idea says the force acts on a body moving in circular or semi-circular motion and is directed toward the center of rotation. That inward direction is what keeps the object on its curved path, with the magnitude of the force related to the speed and radius by F = m v^2 / r. It’s not an outward force; in an inertial frame, the outward sensations you might hear about (centrifugal effects) are just the result of analyzing the motion from a rotating frame, not an actual outward force. Momentum itself isn’t a force, and gravity can be the inward force in some orbital situations but isn’t defined by centripetal force itself. The key idea is inward toward the center of the circular path.