Centrifugation allows researchers to separate cells based on their shape and size. Samples are placed into a centrifuge—a machine designed to spin liquid solutions at a set speed. The rotation causes the mixture to experience a centrifugal force that pushes larger particles from the center toward the bottom and smaller ones to the top. The larger components experience a stronger centrifugal pull force than the smaller components.
The process is similar to density gradient centrifugation, where samples are also placed into a centrifuge, but the end goal is not to sort them by size. Spinning from the centrifuge causes more dense particles to move to the bottom of the tube because these particles have more mass and are carried further by their inertia. Less dense particles then settle higher within the sample. This process creates a sorted solution layered by particle density from least to most, top to bottom.