Monday, January 7, 2008
A Good Question - Returning to Newton
I want to discuss his famous experiment in which he dropped a cannonball and a shot put, presumably of the same material. With this experiment he concluded that objects of different sizes fall at the same speed. I would assume that this is true because of the air resistance on the larger objects (considering an object like a feather). If this is true then a rock and a golfball of the same shape and size should fall at a different speed. Or could it be that the cannonball and the shot put were made of the same or a similar material? Do you trust Newton and believe that even these two objects fall at the same velocity and therefore would hit the ground at the same time, or ore you having second guesses? I want well researched thoughts, opinions, and comments
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3 comments:
Joe, I am a little confused. Are you saying that the shot put and cannonball fell at the same rate because they are made of the same material and thefore, a golf ball and rock would fall at different rates? Anyway, I believe Newton is right, even if we can't experience this on Earth. The main factor here is air resistance (fluid friction). If we can make the amount of air resistance the same (by having the exact same shape and size), then yes, the objects will fall at the same rate, no matter what material they are or how much mass they have.
i love how you put other things you thought were interesting on your blog!
Well Joe, I'm not clear on what Newton's experiment proved, but I know this. As Bvoight said, air resistance plays a role in how fast things fall, and when Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, conducted an experiment on the moon. He dropped a hammer and a feather on the moon at the same time. And guess what? They landed at the same time. So that means...I don't know what that means. Somebody help out. Bvoigt? Anybody?
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