I don't think so, Harry. What the wiki extract above says is that you need to generate an inwards (centripetal) force to maintain an object in orbit. In the example before, that's you pulling on the string to stop the ball flying off at a tangent. And for the earth, gravity provides the centripetal force that keeps objects in orbit.

The key statement is that "...centripetal force is a force requirement, not a particular kind of force." What I thought you were saying, Harry, was that an object in orbit somehow generates an inward (centripetal) force, which I don't think is correct.

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Spike
:)