Question

Johanna makes the table below to organize her notes about centripetal forces.

A 2 column table with 3 rows. The first column is labeled Circular Motion with entries a space station in orbit, a child in a swing, a ball on a string. The second column is labeled Centripetal Force with entries x, blank, blank.

Which type of force should she place in the cell marked X?

tension
gravity
friction
normal

Answer 1

Gravity.

The space station is kept moving in a circular orbit by Earth's gravitational pull toward the center, which provides the required centripetal force (F = mv^2/r).