why is it that I let go of 2 objects at the same time, (1 is heavier than the other) that they fall at the same time? can someone provide a scientific explanation for this?
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Anonymous2006-06-25 13:05 (sage)
Well, suppose you glue them together. You now have an even heavier object, but you wouldn't expect it to drop faster than if you dropped the two separate objects next to eachother, would you?
What happens is that the force of gravity acts on an object proportional to its mass (F=mg), but the acceleration the object gets from the force (any force, even) is also proportional to its mass (F=ma). You get mg=ma, or g=a. And since g is constant (sort of), so is a.
If you want a more intuitive explanation, think of gravity as acting on units of mass, instead of on entire objects. So every unit of mass gets accelerated separately, and equally.
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Anonymous2006-06-25 14:08
>>1
Each proton, neutron and electron falls at the same rate, so to speak. A heavy object at rest on the earth's surface is under pressure from the weight above, but when it is falling they are all falling at the same rate and there is no pressure from above. It is pretty stupid to think that the pressure of an object at rest on the earth's surface will occur when it is falling. Next time induce theories from the facts up rather than the silly approximations your mind randomly comes up with.