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What's a true fact that is so misleading it's borderline misinformation? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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What would be some fact that, while true, could be told in a context or way that is misinfomating or make the other person draw incorrect conclusions?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I know I've had it explained a million times to me since I was a kid but... I still can't remember the difference between the two. I do, however, remember this little factoid about it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I think centripetal force is whatever is pushing/pulling the object toward the center of rotation, such as the closed door of a car pushing on you while driving around a curve, where otherwise you would fly out of the car. Another example is the wheels of the car causing it to travel on a curve instead of straight. Or the rope of a tetherball for a pulling example.

In most cases (besides orbits in space) the force is question is actually the electromagnetic force, like any other case where objects made of atoms touch.

Personally I think it's weird to call that a specific force, especially by those who don't want to give centrifugal force a name - sure it's really just things "tending" to travel straight instead of following the curve, but no reason that can't have a special name, it's certainly intuitive enough.