inertial force

noun

1. an imaginary force which an accelerated observer postulates so that he can use the equations appropriate to an inertial observerSee also Coriolis force

1. An apparent force that appears to affect bodies within a non-inertial frame, but is absent from the point of view of an inertial frame. Centrifugal forces and Coriolis forces, both observed in rotating systems, are inertial forces. Inertial forces are proportional to the body’s mass. See also General Relativity.