Consider a disc-shaped space station of outermost radius $R$, rotating with centripetal acceleration $g$, to simulate Earth-gravity. Supposer a person is standing inside the space station (his head points towards the center). The only forces acting on him are friction (on his feet, causing him to move with the station), and the normal force (also on his feet). But isn't it true that the net force on an object undergoing uniform circular motion is the centripetal force, which points towards the center? The friction force does not point towards the center.

To generalize, suppose you have an object undergoing uniform circular motion, with force vector pointing towards the center and another force vector tangential. Can it be said that the net force pointing in the direction towards the center of the circle is equal to the centripetal force; or, as I seem to have mistakenly assumed, the net force on the object is equal to the centripetal force?

Suppose you have an object undergoing uniform circular motion, with force vector pointing towards the center and another force vector tangential. Can it be said that the net force pointing in the direction towards the center of the circle is equal to the centripetal force; or, as I seem to have mistakenly assumed, the net force on the object is equal to the centripetal force?

Consider a disc-shaped space station of outermost radius $R$, rotating with centripetal acceleration $g$, to simulate Earth-gravity. Supposer a person is standing inside the space station (his head points towards the center). The only forces acting on him are friction (on his feet, causing him to move with the station), and the normal force (also on his feet). But isn't it true that the net force on an object undergoing uniform circular motion is the centripetal force, which points towards the center? The friction force does not point towards the center.

Consider a disc-shaped space station of outermost radius $R$, rotating with centripetal acceleration $g$, to simulate Earth-gravity. Supposer a person is standing inside the space station (his head points towards the center). The only forces acting on him are friction (on his feet, causing him to move with the station), and the normal force (also on his feet). But isn't it true that the net force on an object undergoing uniform circular motion is the centripetal force, which points towards the center? The friction force does not point towards the center.

To generalize, suppose you have an object undergoing uniform circular motion, with force vector pointing towards the center and another force vector tangential. Can it be said that the net force pointing in the direction towards the center of the circle is equal to the centripetal force; or, as I seem to have mistakenly assumed, the net force on the object is equal to the centripetal force?