If you were in a car that drove off the edge of a cliff, why would you be momentarily weightless?

Question

Would gravity still be acting on you?

Answer 1

As long as you are on Earth (in the air or otherwise,) gravity will act on you.

Answer 2

All the answers are correct, so take your pick. :-)

Your body mass is still there, you've just removed the resistance (temporarily) of the energies within the earth as they constantly tug on your atoms (gravity).

The effects of gravity are still there too, its just that the energy is translated into momentum instead of kinetic pressure (weight). And you'll be sorry if the energy of that momentum is expressed all at once on your poor little body when you hit the bottom.

Another interesting thing is that as you double your momentum (speed), the energy being stored increases by the power of two (squared).

Hence, a car traveling at 20 mph will take much more than double the effort (resistance) to stop than the same vehicle traveling at 10 mph.

Answer 3

You are both falling at the same rate, so you feel weightless compared to the car. It's like if you were to go skydiving. If you look at another person sky diving with you, you both appear to be floating. If you look down, you realize you are both falling.

Answer 4

You would feel weightless yes, gravity would still be pulling, but if you have nothing underneath you, you fall .

Answer 5

You would only be wieghtless in relation to the car as you are both falling toward the Earth at the same rate and therefore you would not be pulled towards the seat of the car as you would when it is firmly on the ground.

Gravity would still be acting on you, yes. (Mostly from the Earth)

Answer 6

of course gravity would still be acting on you....the weightlessness you would be feeling would be an illusion