Past exam of the physics B course of the University of Cambridge / 2012 / Paper 2 / Section B / B8 / a

Let a frame's origin have inertial acceleration ${\mathbf{a}}_0$ and its axes rotate with angular velocity $\mathbf{\Omega }(t)$. For position $\mathbf{r}$ and velocity ${\mathbf{v}}^{\prime }$ measured in that frame, Newton's law becomesThe extra terms are translational, Coriolis, Euler and centrifugal inertial forces. Centrifugal force points away from the rotation axis; Coriolis force deflects moving bodies sideways and does no instantaneous work on their relative motion, since it is perpendicular to ${\mathbf{v}}^{\prime }$. The Euler term appears when the rotation rate or axis changes.

For constant $\mathbf{\Omega }$, centrifugal force has potential $U_{\mathrm{cf}}=-m|\mathbf{\Omega }\times \mathbf{r}{|}^2/2$. It can be combined with a conservative real potential to find rotating-frame equilibria. The Coriolis term remains velocity dependent. These forces arise from describing acceleration in a noninertial frame; they are not additional interactions between bodies. They are essential for trajectories on rotating apparatus and for large-scale terrestrial motions. Frame-dependent terms must be included consistently with the chosen coordinates.