The rate of change of velocity of a body per unit of time.
39
votes
9answers
7k views
Don't heavier objects actually fall faster because they exert their own gravity?
The common understanding is that, setting air resistance aside, all objects dropped to Earth fall at the same rate. This is often demonstrated through the thought experiment of cutting a large object ...
11
votes
4answers
373 views
Is there an easy way to show that $x^2-t^2=1/g^2$ for a (relativistic) body undergoing acceleration g?
A professor asked me about the (c=1) equation:
$$x^2 - t^2 = 1/g^2$$
which I used in a paper. Or with $c$:
$$x^2 - (ct)^2 = c^4/g^2.$$
I told him that it was the exact equation of motion for a ...
10
votes
7answers
2k views
Would it help if you jump inside a free falling elevator?
Imagine you're trapped inside a free falling elevator. Would you decrease your impact impulse by jumping during the fall? When?
10
votes
4answers
806 views
Acceleration of two falling objects with identical form and air drag but different masses
I have a theoretical question that has been bugging me and my peers for weeks now - and we have yet to settle on a concrete answer.
Imagine two balloons, one is filled with air, one with concrete. ...
9
votes
1answer
585 views
How do I calculate the (apparent) gravitational pull with General Relativity?
Assume a static metric with (known) components $g_{\mu\nu}$. I'd like to know what is the gravitational pull $g$ of a test particle placed on an arbitrary point $X$.
The gravitational pull being ...
9
votes
1answer
608 views
What came first, Rice Crispy or “Snap,” “Crackle,” and “Pop”? [closed]
The fourth, fifth, and sixth derivatives of position are called "Snap" "Crackle" and "Pop". What came first, the rice crispy characters, or the physics units?
9
votes
3answers
427 views
How do we explain accelerated motion in Newtonian physics and in modern physics?
Maybe my question will seem stupid, but I am not a physicist so I have some problems understanding a classic Newtonian experiment: in the bucket experiment, why does he have to introduce the absolute ...
8
votes
3answers
360 views
Whether $m$ in $E=mc^{2}$ and $F=ma$ are both relativistic mass?
I know that $m$ in $E=mc^{2}$ is the relativistic mass, but can $m$ in $F=ma$ can also be relativistic? If the answer is yes, then can you tell me whether this equation is valid $E=\frac{F}{a}c^{2}$? ...
8
votes
4answers
310 views
Are smaller soap bubbles more accelerated by wind?
If you blow a bunch of soap bubbles outside, and a gust of wind hits them, will the bigger ones be more or less accelerated by the wind than the smaller ones?
Intuitively, and maybe from remembered ...
7
votes
4answers
1k views
Acceleration in special relativity
I am currently studying the motion of relativistic charged particles in electromagnetic fields. More exactly, we first derived the equation of motion in the 4-vector formalism.
I was a bit confused ...
7
votes
1answer
230 views
Is acceleration an average?
Background
I'm new to physics and math. I stopped studying both of them in high-school, and I wish I hadn't. I'm pursuing study in both topics for personal interest. Today, I'm learning about ...
7
votes
2answers
764 views
Relativistic centripetal force
The thought randomly occurred to me that a circular particle accelerator would have to exert a lot of force in order to maintain the curvature of the trajectory. Many accelerators move particles at ...
7
votes
2answers
764 views
Should acceleration be included in state vector of a Kalman filter?
I'm developing (actually adopting existing solution) a Kalman filter to model motion of a vehicle (UAV or automobile). The state vector will include position, velocity, and, possibly, acceleration.
...
6
votes
8answers
459 views
Can you completely explain acceleration to me?
I understand what acceleration is, and I know the formula, and I understand it's a vector.
I just don't understand how the equation works exactly. I'm kind of picky, I know, but bear with me.
...
6
votes
4answers
440 views
How to brake 'beautifully'?
Sometimes when I'm driving my car, I play a "game" against myself in which I try to minimize the deceleration felt by passengers (including myself) while still braking in a reasonable short space. I ...
