Question

What does "centripetal'' mean?

Answer 1

I tried this:

Explanation:

I think it comes from latin:

centrum = center
petere =go to

it refers to vectorial quantities representing actions that operate perpendicularly to the direction of motion and towards a fixed point regarded as the center of a curved trajectory.
Examples of these kind of actions are the Centripetal Forces that help an object to describe a circumference (the tension in a string or friction in the tyres of a car).