Jump to content
  • entries
    30
  • comments
    7
  • views
    5,059

Its all relative


TheSigFig

432 views

Relative motion can be a bit weird when you really stop to think about it. It may seem to make sense that when we are standing still we don't move, but think about it. Why is it that we don't move when the earth is rotating really fast under us? Friction? Nope, that doesn't answer it. The reason is because while the earth is rotating, whatever point we are on, we move with the same tangential velocity of the earth. So while relative to the ground we may not be moving at all, relative to some observer in space (if we could be seen from space) we are actually moving pretty darn fast. It's the same reason why if you're in a car going 60 miles per hour and throw a ball straight up into the air it doesn't fly backwards. Relative to you, it's not moving at all, but relative to the ground, it's moving with the car at 60 mph. Just an interesting thought I had, and even if you read this thinking "well, of course that's how it works," just remember, to someone else, their mind may have just been blown. It's all relative

0 Comments


Recommended Comments

There are no comments to display.

Guest
Add a comment...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...