Centripetal Force
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Centripetal force is the net force required to keep an object moving in a circular path, always directed toward the center of the circle. It isn't a distinct new force itself — it's provided by something else, like tension in a string, gravity for orbiting planets, or friction between tires and road for a turning car.

Centripetal force depends on the square of velocity (F = mv²/r), so doubling an object's speed while keeping the radius and mass fixed increases the required force fourfold. This is why taking a curve too fast is disproportionately more dangerous than a moderate speed increase might suggest.

Force is inversely proportional to radius in the centripetal force formula, so tightening the radius of a circular path — making a sharper turn — increases the force needed to maintain that path at a given speed. This is why highway curves are designed with large radii at high speed limits.

No, and this is a frequent point of confusion. Centripetal force is real and points inward, causing circular motion, while centrifugal force is a perceived outward push felt only by an observer inside the rotating frame — it's a fictitious force that doesn't exist in an outside, stationary frame of reference.

The object doesn't fly directly outward — it moves in a straight line tangent to the circle at the point where the force stopped, as described by Newton's first law. This is exactly what happens when a spun object is released, like a hammer leaving a thrower's grip in the hammer throw.