What's the diff between centrifugal & centripetal, & is tht force a good substitute for gravity

[Perspicuo]

What is the difference between centrifugal and centripetal force, and is that force a good substitute for gravity, for eventual space station inhabitants, given that gravity is important for many biological processes?

 

[Uwe]

The latter is the 'false force' you percieve because the Gravitron is spinning, and trying to accelerate out from under you.
The former is the force from the wall of the Gravitron preventing you from exiting the ride prematurely.

They are the two sides of a coin.

Astronauts talk about Coriolis forces being a problem for your vestibular system in a spinning space station scenario, but basically I think that means you need to have a very large wheel radius to keep the residents comfortable.

 

[Perspicuo]

By the latter, you mean gravity? By the former you mean... ?

There are three terms in the question: Centrifugal, Centripetal and Gravity.

Also, I'm asking about health. Loss of bone and muscle mass; fluid redistribution; disruption of vision; disruption of taste; and other effects such as difficulty having erections in men (perhaps in women too, but I wouldn't know if this is important for the mechanics of women's functioning).

Coriolis effect... interesting, I hadn't thought about that.

 

[Uwe]

There are two terms in your comparative phrase "between centrifugal and centripetal."

The independent clause regarding gravity was treated separately. I probably should have included the word, "yes," in that portion of my reply...I skipped over that part to explain why we have not yet seen a spinning module on a real space station. Given the large-radius stipulation I mentioned, the humans on board a properly rotating vessel would not experience the negative effects you listed.

 

[bilby]

 

[Perspicuo]

There are two terms in your comparative phrase "between centrifugal and centripetal."

The independent clause regarding gravity was treated separately. I probably should have included the word, "yes," in that portion of my reply...I skipped over that part to explain why we have not yet seen a spinning module on a real space station. Given the large-radius stipulation I mentioned, the humans on board a properly rotating vessel would not experience the negative effects you listed.

Thank you.

Now that's the medical side. How about the theoretical side: How can both forces be equivalent in all their properties? If not, how is it that they would translate into equivalent effects (barring Coriolis)?

 

[Perspicuo]

Bond cartoon[/ IMG][/QUOTE]

:D :thumbsup:

 

[skepticalbip]

There are two terms in your comparative phrase "between centrifugal and centripetal."

The independent clause regarding gravity was treated separately. I probably should have included the word, "yes," in that portion of my reply...I skipped over that part to explain why we have not yet seen a spinning module on a real space station. Given the large-radius stipulation I mentioned, the humans on board a properly rotating vessel would not experience the negative effects you listed.

Thank you.

Now that's the medical side. How about the theoretical side: How can both forces be equivalent in all their properties? If not, how is it that they would translate into equivalent effects (barring Coriolis)?

They are similar in that both are effects of accelerations. Gravity is a force that causes an acceleration radially toward the center of mass, the other is an angular acceleration (explaining the Coriolis effects) causing a force outward. In the case of linear acceleration, someone on a spaceship (outside of Earth's gravity) accelerating at one g could not tell any difference (with any experiment inside the ship) between that and sitting on a launching pad on Earth.
.

 

[Perspicuo]

Got it.


(By the way, I learned about the Coriolis effect playing Tour of Duty 4. There was a character there that taught you all about sniping, in Pripyat, Ukraine. Mystified by the concept, I went to YouTube where it was nicely clarified ).

 

[bilby]

Got it.


(By the way, I learned about the Coriolis effect playing Tour of Duty 4. There was a character there that taught you all about sniping, in Pripyat, Ukraine. Mystified by the concept, I went to YouTube where it was nicely clarified ).

Pripyat is not a place you want to hang about in for more than a few weeks. Being as it is the home of the world's only fatal nuclear power plant accident.