Sometimes it is said that water is removed from clothes in the spin dryer by centrifugal force throwing the water outward. Is this correct? Discuss.

Question

mrnood · Answer

there is no such thing as centrifugal force.

The clothes in a spin dryer are acted upon by the walls of the cylinder and are pushed INWARDS by that force causing them to move in a circle.

The water encounters the HOLES in th ecylinder where no force acts on it. It herefore continues to move in its tangential direction, passes through the hole and is extracted outside the drum.

Remember - objects continue to move in a straight line UNLESS acted on by a force. The clothes ARE acted upon, but the water isn't. The clothes move in a circle, the water moves tangentially through the hole.