Pretend that you have taken one step on the ground and have traveled 30 cm. Now, if you were elevated by 50,000 feet from the ground and taken the same step then landed back down, would you have traveled the same distance? or did you travel further than 30 cm? Why????
2006-10-29 16:22:16 · 5 answers · asked by petswodahs 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
You would have travelled LESS distance - how do i explain it in layman's terms?
Take a large analogue wall clock. Advancing the minute hand by 30 cm might take it forwards by 30 minutes.
Advancing it on a large clock-tower (eg: big ben) by 30cm may take it forwards by about 5 minutes.
The size of the step is the same, but the angle of the hands differs immensely.
So, youre stood on the outer circumfrence of the big clock, you step 30cm, and move forward by 5minutes.
Place the wall clock in the centre so that both clocks are rotating aroung the same axis. Follow the hand of the big clock towards the centre, and it has till moved forwards by 5 minutes, but in this case, instead of stepping 30cm, you have stepped 5cm.
This was a sunovabitch to explain - hope I got it right!
2006-10-29 17:27:45 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
A tricky question to be sure. The trick is that you should be going back down along the line radius emanating from the Earth's center. Therefore, the projected distance back to the ground is 30 cm*rad_earth/(rad_earth+50000ft), which is 29.9285 cm, which is a millimeter less distance.
This is because the subtended angle of 30cm at 50000ft is less than the subtended angle at the surface.
2006-10-29 16:35:54 · answer #2 · answered by arbiter007 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Hi. Increasing the radial distance means you will cover LESS ground for each CM you travel. Why? Your angular displacement is less.
2006-10-29 16:25:58 · answer #3 · answered by Cirric 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
No you would of travelled farther than 30 cm.
By being at 50,000 and stepping to the ground you are going at an angle from 50,000 feet to the spot in front of you which is just 30 cm from the elbow of the 90* angle
....................................I 50,000 feet
....................................I (by stating the 50,000 you
....................................I made another distance)
....................................I
....................................I
.................................._I
>>>>>>>>>>>30cm
2006-10-29 16:44:45 · answer #4 · answered by julie 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
No
2006-10-29 16:34:11 · answer #5 · answered by futureastronaut1 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋