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Homework Statement
One way to simulate gravity is to shape a spaceship like a cylindrical shell that rotates, with the astronauts walking on the inside surface. Explain how this simulates gravity.
Homework Equations
## F = m/v^2 ##
The Attempt at a Solution
My textbook's solution guide says that "For objects (including astronauts) on the inner surface of the cylinder, the normal force provides a centripetal force which points inward toward the center of the cylinder. This normal force simulates the normal force we feel when on the surface of Earth." On the Earth's surface, I know that the normal force push up from the ground (and counter acts gravity so that we don't fall through the Earth). In the spaceship's artificial gravity, the normal force has no gravitational force to counteract, so why doesn't the normal force push the astronauts up and away from the surface (and towards the center of rotation). Thank you so much.