If I'm travelling with a bag of objects on the seat next to me and I turn right, which direction does the bag fall and why? What does this have to do with friction, centripetal and inertia
When you turn right, the bag of objects will tend to fall towards the left. This is because of the concept of inertia, which is the tendency of objects to resist changes in their state of motion.
Inertia plays a role in this scenario because the bag of objects will continue to move in a straight line due to its inertia while the car turns right. As a result, the bag will initially continue moving forward, relative to the car. However, the car's seat, including the bag, is subject to a centripetal force towards the center of the circular motion created by the turn.
Centripetal force is the force that acts inward towards the center of the circular path and is required to keep an object in uniform circular motion. In this case, the seat exerts a centripetal force on the bag, pulling it towards the center of the turning circle.
Now, let's bring friction into the picture. Friction is the force that opposes the relative motion between two surfaces in contact. As the car turns right, there will be a relative velocity between the seat and the bag. This relative motion creates a frictional force that pushes the bag to the left, opposite to the direction of the turn.
Therefore, due to the combination of inertia, the seat's centripetal force, and the frictional force, the bag of objects will tend to fall towards the left when you turn right.