difference between centrifugal and cetripetal

Centrifugal and Centripetal forces may both be called a force, but one of them is really not a force at all. There is a relationship between the two forces, however. Centrifugal results from inertia, the tendency of an object to resist any change in its state of motion or when it is at rest, though it is technically not a force. Centrifugal describes an object as it flies outward along a curved path, away from the center of the curve. Often times it is called an "apparent force", mainly because it feels like a force. On the other hand, centripetal force is a true force that will offset the centrifugal "force" stopping the motion of the object from its flying outward, keeping it in motion instead at a consistent speed along the curved or circular path. Centripetal is the force that prevents the moon from floating out of the Earth's orbit. Centrifugal force was defined in 1659 by Christiaan Hygens, and Isaac Newton defined centripetal force 25 years later in 1684. A major difference between centrifugal and centripetal force is the direction of each. Centrifugal takes place along the radius of the circle from the center out towards the object. For centripetal, it is the opposite, taking place also along the radius of the circle, but from the object in towards the center. Basically, both are defined by their frame of reference, centrifugal from the center towards the outside, centripetal from the outside towards the inside or center. A couple examples of each type of force may help one see the difference between the two. A centrifugal force example is the mud flying off of a spinning tire, or children being pushed out on a merry-go-round. The force the children feel is centrifugal force pushing them outward.