Is gravitational force acting on someone if they fall off a cliff? What about on an astronaut inside an orbiting space shuttle?
2006-09-06 16:42:02 · 7 answers · asked by MegN 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Yes, the "fall" is just the gravitational force and the force of the person's weight combine with air resitance.
An astronaut: theres no gravity in space, so there is no force pulling an object or restricting it to one place, so if an astronaut fell off of something in a spaceship, they'd really just float.
2006-09-06 16:49:52 · answer #1 · answered by ~*Prodigious*~ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It doesn't matter you are on earth or in space, gravitational force is acting on you. When you fall off a cliff then you are falling with an acceleration, which is the acceleration due to gravity. The weight that we feel is the force acting on our body by the gravity. When we are on ground it is getting balanced by the reactive force exerted by ground. Under free fall this force is used for our acceleration and we won't feel any opposing force except air friction.
In space shuttle our body and the vehicle both are having same acceleration. And both are falling freely. So we don't feel the effect of gravity.
Remember that whatever we feel is relative to some refernce. If the reference is also subjected to the same effect then we cannot feel that.
2006-09-06 23:05:03 · answer #2 · answered by libranjiss 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes gravity acts on both man. the two man are accelerating towards the center of the earth. for the astronuaut, he has gained enough speed to be orbiting.
imagine you are on a hill, you throw a rock and it will lands near the foot of a cliff. if you throw harder the rock will land further up. at last you throw so hard that it goes round the earth and hit you at the back of your head.
therefore, the harder you throw, the speed the rock have. this is the same for the astronuat. he is free falling near towards the center of the earth but centripetal force keeps him in orbit.
to find the speed of orbit:
GMm/r^2=mv^2/r
v^2= GM/r
M = mass of earth
r = dist between astronaut and earth
G= universal gravitation const
2006-09-06 17:30:44 · answer #3 · answered by superlaminal 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
With respect to the orbiting space shuttle, that's what keeps it in orbit.
2006-09-06 16:48:55 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
yes. as he falls it is an accelerated motion, which can be the resultof a force.
2006-09-06 16:51:19 · answer #5 · answered by Dinker 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if he were to step out in space would he fall ? of course not.. lack of gravity in space...
2006-09-06 17:18:26 · answer #6 · answered by wizard 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
THAT'S EXACTLY what MAKES them fall!
2006-09-06 16:47:19 · answer #7 · answered by thewordofgodisjesus 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋