Pseudo-forces, also known as fictitious forces, arise when observing motion from a non-inertial reference frame—that is, a frame that is accelerating or rotating rather than moving at a constant velocity.
In such frames, objects appear to accelerate even when no physical force is acting on them. To explain this apparent motion, we introduce pseudo-forces to apply Newton’s laws as if the frame were inertial.
Common examples of pseudo-forces include:
- Centrifugal force: Feels like you’re being pushed outward in a turning car.
- Coriolis force: Causes moving objects to deflect in rotating systems, such as wind patterns on Earth.
- Euler force: Arises in rotating systems when the rate of rotation changes.
These forces are not real interactions, but mathematical constructs that help describe motion from an accelerating frame. They illustrate how the laws of motion depend on the observer’s frame of reference, a concept central to both classical mechanics and relativity.