What does centrifuge mean?
Word: Centrifuge
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Centrifuge means a machine that spins containers round very fast, so that the heavier parts of a liquid are pushed outwards and separate from the lighter parts.
How do you spell centrifuge?
Syllables: cen - tri - fuge
Tricky part: Pupils used to writing centre often begin this word centre- as well. The middle beat is tri, with an i.
Watch out for: centrefuge, sentrifuge
Memory tip: Picture a tricycle parked in the middle of the word: the tri of tricycle sits right after the cen.
Centrifuge in a sentence
Example 1: The lab technician loaded six small tubes into the centrifuge and closed the lid.
Example 2: A washing machine's spin cycle works a little like a centrifuge, flinging water out of the clothes.
Example 3: Astronauts train in a huge centrifuge that presses them back into their seats.
Fun Fact
The name joins two Latin words meaning centre and to flee, because the spinning sends material fleeing away from the middle.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
c_ntrif_ge
a) a,u
b) e,o
c) i,u
d) e,u
Show answer
d) e,u. The first beat is cen, as in central, and the last beat says fyooj with a u, as refuge does.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt one:
1. evaporate 2. centrifuge 3. sediment 4. filtrasion
a) to change from a liquid into a gas
b) solid matter that settles at the bottom of a liquid
c) passing a liquid through something to hold back solids
d) a spinning device that sorts a mixture by weight
Show answer
c) passing a liquid through something to hold back solids. Filtration ends in -tion, so filtrasion is the faulty spelling.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
centriffuge
a) f
b) e
c) u
d) i
Show answer
a) f. Only one f comes before the u, just as in refuge.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A dairy uses a centrifuge on fresh milk. What is it most likely doing?
a) heating the milk until it boils
b) keeping the milk cold overnight
c) pouring the milk into bottles
d) separating the cream from the rest
Show answer
d) separating the cream from the rest
2. Which everyday machine works in a way most like a centrifuge?
a) a torch
b) a spin dryer
c) a toaster
d) a kettle
Show answer
b) a spin dryer
