Question

If you spin a ball on a string over your head and the string breaks, the ball will fly in a direction straight out from the center of rotation because of the centrifugal force.
true or false

Answer 1

@IrishBoy123

Answer 2

@AloneS

Answer 3

@osprey

Answer 4

I think true

Answer 5

True. I would also suggest testing it.

Answer 6

'fraid not .... as soon as the string is snipped the so-called centrifugal force disappears, along with the real force of interest which is the one that was keeping the thing in the circle in the first place, the CENTRIPETAL force.
It'll go on the line of the tangent at the point in the circle where it was released.
Testing is relatively easy. Get a conker on a string, or bit of plasticene or some such. Get a couple of very patient/tolerant friends and just, well, "do it". Spin the thing round above your head, and then just LET GO !
Then argue, do it again until my bucket of cold water is demonstrated as either right or wrong.
Couple of minutes of fun and games - probably quite rare in physics ?

Answer 7

so false

Answer 8

@osprey

Answer 9

it will fly at a tangent

try it

Answer 10

It will fly out, but because of inertia, not any outside force. @18jonea

Answer 11

@IrishBoy123 @SapphireMoon
Parfait mes beau et belles amis !
This is an example of a very difficult physics concept to get hold of, as quite a few books may say.
Perhaps if we did a thought experiment of putting the "fly out" camp ALONGSIDE the whirly gig and then KEEPING "fly out" STILL rotating, after the conker has been snipped, then RELATIVE to "fly out" it MAY very well appear to be going RADIALLY outwards ...
That's a thought expt cos I wouldn't think it could be tried in the kitchen.
The simple release or snip one though, can ...
So, as I've read several times in other places "both are right" (maybe), because they're reporting from DIFFERENT REFERENCE FRAMES. One ( the conker) is AN ACCELERATED reference frame (NON-INERTIAL), t'other is a "FIXED" (moving at uniform speed, in fact) reference frame aka INERTIAL.
(Will I get lynched for this ?)