/sci/ - Science & Math

>>5381415

It is true as long as the air resistence between the two objects is proportionately similar

>hurr let's drop a feather and a black hole near a planet and see which reaches the ground first

Because the mass of the Earth is so much larger than that of any two objects that a human being could reasonably drop that the gravitational acceleration on each of them will be pretty much identical. But of course, you need to ignore air resistance for this to be true.

In other words, it's true only in a specific set of conditions, but this set is fairly common in our daily lives.

>>5381416
No, it's not. If you drop two objects of very close mass (say, a bowling ball, and a golf ball) they will appear to land at the same time. But, if the difference in mass is large enough, the difference becomes noticeable. For instance, drop a bowling ball on the moon, and drop a bowling ball on earth. The bowling ball on earth will reach the ground first. This is effectively dropping the moon and the earth on the ball. With this massive difference in mass, it becomes obvious that Galileo, as awesome as he was, was wrong.

It was amazing discovery for the time. Keep in mind they didnt have concepts like gravitational field strength or mathematical model for it. So it is true in a certain context.

>>5381430
It's a great story. A great story about science. But many people still act like its conclusions are fact. It drives me nuts.

>Why does everybody still act like this is true?
Because it IS true, within the scope of the simplifying assumptions that you conveniently omitted.

>>5381438
I'm not saying it isn't accurate in most applications here on earth. I'm whining about how others omit and simplify the assumptions needed for it to be true.

>>5381444

1+1=2

Now tell me why.

I doubt you'll be satisfied with the answer if your polling demographic is anything indicative of reality.

>>5381425
No it is,not like dropping the moon and earth on bowling balls.

Actually it isn't true if they're dropped with different initial velocities.

>>5381445

>>5381462

>Actually it isn't true if they're dropped with different initial velocities.


THEN YOU CAN'T VERY WELL SAY THEY'VE BEEN "DROPPED" NOW CAN YOU MOTHERFUCKER? NO, IN THAT CASE THEY'RE THROWN, ARE THEY NOT MOTHERFUCKER? JESUS TITTYFUCKING JEHOVAH WHAT DO YOU THINK WORDS MEAN MATE? YOU THINK ENGLISH IS JUST YOUR PLAYGROUND? YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST SAY "DROP" MEANS "THROWN"? WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT HORSESHIT M8.

>>5381478

>>5381475

>I doubt you'll be satisfied with the answer if your polling demographic is anything indicative of reality.
>reality
>/sci/

My point is an eight year old "knows" what 1+1 equals. So does an economist, and a haitian, and amy winehouse, and a gender studies student, and Obama, and Mitt Romney, and Ron Paul.

Poll the entirety of Earth that question, then shoot up a primary school, or a performing arts campus, or congress. Or don't.
But you're extremely deluded if you think the majority of the human race, or the majority of the "educated" human race in first world nations, either knows or can deduce why that is so.

>>5381478
10/10

>>5381487

oooh. Sick burn.

>>5381478

>>5381425
No, this is actually a very clever way of redirecting the error induced by the gravitational well's motion. If we fix the position of the gravitational well (i.e. the bowling ball) then the Moon and the Earth will hit the bowling ball at the same time. For the principle above to hold true you simply need the gravitational well to be much, much larger than the object being dropped. The principle that Galileo was referencing is still correct under certain sets of assumptions, as every object still experiences the same gravitational acceleration under the same conditions.

>>5381478

20/10, my sides are nonexistent

Dunno.
It's just an over simplification of something that IS true.

>>5381531

What?

becasue it IS true? are you people retarded?

>>5381478
that made my day

In this thread, OP just learnt in school today that classical mechanics are just an approximation and now he thinks he's smart

HEY GUY'S DID YOU KNOW THAT THE EARTH DON'T ORBIT THE SUN?
THEY ACTUALLY BOTH ORBIT THEIR COMMON CENTER OF GRAVITY! XD

It's not true. While they both are attracted to the earth (the center of mass of the Earth/mass system), the Earth is also attracted to the dropping mass, and that varies based on the dropping mass's mass.

He is right you know... Trick question. The earth will move toward the heavier object with some minisculey larger number.

The real failure is in the deliberate discredit to hollow earth theory, which is a reasonable answer as to why the earth's center of mass is a little below the surface and not directly at the center.

>why do people use approximations in high school when teaching retarded kids

>>5382046
Wait, really? That's cool, Anon. Tell me more about this common center of gravity.

>>5383342
why don't we just teach topology to toddlers?

>>5381478
This is actually the perfect post. I've finally found it.

>>5381415
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDp1tiUsZw8
Status:
[ ] Not told
[ ] Told
[x] Told Story
[x] Toldtanic
[x] Jurassic Told
[x] Toldminator 2: The Judgment Told
[x] The Told of The Rings: The Told Towers
[x] One Told over the Cuckoo's Nest

>Two objects, dropped from the same height, at the same time, will reach the ground at *roughly* the same time, regardless of weight.

Because it's accurate within the margin of error that classical mechanics has you fucktard.

Jesus, the autism on here...

>>5381478

You know when people say 'you win the internet'?

They're usually just overreacting or being stupid.

But you? You really DID just win the entire fucking internet. Bravo, sir. Bravo.

>Why does everybody still act like this is true?
In the void, it IS true.

>>5381418

>Because the mass of the Earth is so much larger than that of any two objects that a human being could reasonably drop that the gravitational acceleration on each of them will be pretty much identical.

Geologist here: This is not as true as you think. A heavier object doesn't fall faster (approximately) even though the attraction between it and the Earth is greater because it has more mass, and therefore greater inertia, so it takes more energy (force) to accelerate it.

>>5381478
>>5381478
"Jesus tittyfucking johovah..."
That sentence may be the best thing I have read this year, just in time too.
Good show old chap.