Fictitious Force

Definition

Fictitious force (also known as pseudo force) is an apparent force that appears to act on an object but actually arises from the acceleration of the reference frame itself.

Analogy

Imagine you're sitting in a car at a red light. When the car next to you starts moving, it feels like your car is being pushed backward, even though there's no actual force acting on it. This sensation is due to the acceleration of the other car and is similar to how fictitious forces arise from accelerated reference frames.

Related terms

Inertial Frame: An inertial frame is a reference frame in which Newton's laws of motion hold true without the need for fictitious forces.

Centrifugal Force: Centrifugal force is a fictitious force that appears to push objects away from the center of rotation in a rotating reference frame.

Coriolis Force: Coriolis force is another fictitious force that acts on moving objects in rotating reference frames and causes them to deviate from straight paths.