Mar 21 2012

What is a centrifuge?

Category: Medical Supplies


A centrifuge is a machine, with an electric motor, that rapidly spins or rotates fluids within a special type of manufactured centrifuge tube. As the centrifuge rotates, it will separate substances of varying densities by using centrifugal force to produce a type of artificial gravity. Centrifugal force is considered the “inertial reaction of a body against a force constraining it to move in a curved path”

The centrifuge works using the principle of sedimentation, where the centripetal acceleration allows more dense substances to separate towards the bottom of the tube. Lighter objects, on the other hand, will move towards the tops of the centrifuge tubes.

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