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RE: Scaling - Why Ants Bounce But Elephants Go Splat

in #steemstem6 years ago

Very good post.

"The larger you are the faster you accelerate in free fall (in air, not in vacuum)."

I'm not sure you got that one right.

I could swear I've seen it demonstrated many times where a large sphere and a small sphere are dropped from a height at the same time and they both hit the ground at the same time.

Or did I imagine it?

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This greatly depends on the objects that are dropped, the height the experiment is performed from and wether or not it is conducted in a vacuum. In a vacuum a feather and a bowling ball will hit at the same time whereas outside of a vacuum the results are completely different.

As an objects mass increases it has a tendency to overcome air resistance and obtain maximum velocity quicker. At least that’s how I understand it. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

Well its obviously a bit more complicated than that e.g. the shape of the object can have a huge effect on it's falling velocity in air.

Just think of the difference between a closed and an open parachute both of which have exactly the same mass.

Great question!

A feather and a bowling ball will fall at the same rate in a vacuum. This has been proven on the Moon and inside NASA's large vacuum chamber.

Hammer vs Feather - Physics on the Moon
Watch A Bowling Ball And Feather Falling In A Vacuum
In air a light ball and a heavy ball of the same size but different mass will fall at different rates. Each will have the same air resistance but the more massive ball will have more downward gravitational pull You might need some modest equipment to prove this but it is doable.

Yes well that should be fairly obvious, but two solid balls of the same material(density) but of different size(mass/volume) will fall at the same speed/velocity.
If dropped at the same time from the same height/altitude will hit the ground at the same time.
This according to Galileo.
But other scientists say it's not true according to their formulas but don't bother to test or demonstrate their hypotheses in reality. (If you know of any such demonstrations(not formulas)please give me a link.

I have seen it successfully demonstrated on video somewhere in the UK.(can' find it now)

It's amazing that in this day and age that the answer to such a simple question could still be in any way controversial. Just like the controversy as to how an aeroplane wing gives lift.

Yes we all know about the vacuum dropping thing. They never stop going on about it.

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