Science Memes

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Falling (mander.xyz)

submitted 2 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago (2 children)

No. F=GMm/d2. The mass of the earth doesn’t change so g=GM/d2 will not change

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Ah but the earth doesn't just attract the ball or feather. The bowling ball attracts the earth as well, and since it has more mass, it will pull the earth towards it faster than the feather.

But if you drop them at the same time, that's moot.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

In other words, the feather and ball are both attracted to the earth at the same rate but because the ball has a higher mass, the earth is very slightly more attracted to the ball

[–] Honytawk 1 points 2 months ago

Maybe the ball is just more of their type?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago (4 children)

So why does the bowling ball fall faster in a vacuum? Does it appear faster locally because the heavier object makes local time slower than the lighter object compared to a distant observer? I'm trying to understand what the meme is getting at.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago

That's the neat thing: it doesn't

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago

The bowling ball also pulls the earth towards itself. This amount is imperceptibly small but still there

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

I’m trying to understand as well.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Because it, ever so slightly, pulls Earth towards it with it's own, miniscule gravity.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (2 children)

But that doesn't make the bowling ball fall faster to a distant observer, just the earth fall twords the ball. To an observer on earth it would appear to fall faster though.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

Yeah, I think the meme is intended from the perspective of an observer on Earth.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

The ball's acceleration is identical to the feather's, but it's fall ends up shorter.