Centripetal Force

Real World Example

Imagine you're at a crowded party, trying to keep a group of friends together as you navigate from one side of the room to the other. Just like you need to gently hold onto your friends' hands to keep them moving in a circle around the room with you, centripetal force is the "hand" that keeps an object moving in a circular path. The way you guide your friends, pulling them just enough to keep them from wandering off, is similar to how centripetal force pulls an object towards the center of its circular path, preventing it from flying off in a straight line.