Physics Question: I'm stumped
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Joined: Sep 2004
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From: Indianapolis
Physics Question: I'm stumped
Suppose you stand on a spot at the equator and decide to jump straight up, along the vertical (the line defined by the earth's gravity.) When you landed again, would you land at the same spot? Further East? West? BTW, I am studying the Coriolis Effect if that helps...
Floppy Death! noES!!!
Joined: Oct 2002
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From: Scranton, PA
Well how close to the "exact" spot would be acceptable?
Who knows, maybe the wind blows just a bit and pushes you 1cm off. Or maybe you didn't push off with exactly the same pressure in all directions.
There are way too many variables. For something so small, in relation to the earth, and moving such and small distance... I'd say, unless you were acted upon by an outside force (wind, someone pushing you, etc) and you pushed up with, relatively, the same force in all directions... you'd land in pretty much the same spot.
Who knows, maybe the wind blows just a bit and pushes you 1cm off. Or maybe you didn't push off with exactly the same pressure in all directions.
There are way too many variables. For something so small, in relation to the earth, and moving such and small distance... I'd say, unless you were acted upon by an outside force (wind, someone pushing you, etc) and you pushed up with, relatively, the same force in all directions... you'd land in pretty much the same spot.
Floppy Death! noES!!!
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 21,218
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From: Scranton, PA
Originally Posted by b00gers
What if you are on a conveyer belt, and you jump straight up? Youll land in a different spot :eek3:
We are not in a closed system. The earth is powered by the sun, so fuck the damn creationists, Doomsday get my gun.
Apathy Kills
Joined: Nov 2002
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From: The Left Lane
I'm utterly inept at mathematics, but I'm inclined to answer yes, you'll land where you left.
* Up until the point when you leave the Earth's surface, you are rotating about the Earth's axis at the same speed as the planet.
* This ought to ensure that for the time you are airborne, you are continuing to rotate about the Earth's axis at the same rate as the surface beneath you.
* The miniscule amount of time spent in the air should effectively nullify any rotational deceleration due to drag.
---
Again, I'm only theorizing here.
Do NOT ask for mathematical proof to back this up.
h:
* Up until the point when you leave the Earth's surface, you are rotating about the Earth's axis at the same speed as the planet.
* This ought to ensure that for the time you are airborne, you are continuing to rotate about the Earth's axis at the same rate as the surface beneath you.
* The miniscule amount of time spent in the air should effectively nullify any rotational deceleration due to drag.
---
Again, I'm only theorizing here.
Do NOT ask for mathematical proof to back this up.
h:
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