pseudo force
[ sōō′dō ]
A physically apparent but nonexistent force felt by an observer in a noninertial frame (that is, a frame undergoing acceleration). Newton's laws of motion hold true within such a reference frame only if the existence of such a force is presumed. The centrifugal force is an example of a pseudo force.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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