boulder in ur hands. You would find it quite difficult to move this boulder back and forth even though it has almost no weight. Explain (in terms of inertia)>..
i dont get the question and i mean at all....
some help would be nice.. rude comments to me would be mean :( ...
2006-11-06 10:44:26 · 5 answers · asked by Sheyna 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Mathematics
Well, in the first place you'd be dead...but let's ignore that.
It would take a good bit of energy to move the boulder, energy that our muscles coundn't produce. Inertia is the tendency for things to either keep moving or stay still. So, it fits right in there...the boulder would "want" to stay in the same state, it would take energy to change it...we don't have the energy to move it all that well.
2006-11-06 10:48:47 · answer #1 · answered by Shaun 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Given that f = ma
then you apply a force to the boulder F
Mass of boulder = M
So it will asccelerate with an acceleration of A
However there is an equal and opposite force applied by the boulder on you (mass m) and your acceleration (a)
So MA = ma
ie A/a = m/M
So the rocks acceleration is small compared to yours and it is in the reciprocal of the ratio of the masses so the bigger the rock the less its acceleration.
ie you are more likely to move rapidly rather than the boulder (just as if we push on the big rock we live on it does not move much at all but we move alot in comparison.
2006-11-06 18:51:05 · answer #2 · answered by Wal C 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. In space, while both items are "weightless" they do have weight relative to each other. If the boulder was 10 times your body weight and you pushed it away, you would travel at ten times the speed of the boulder in the opposite direction. ie. if you pushed it hard enough to move it 0.5m/s you would move away from the boulder at 5.5m/s ( you at 5m/s and the boulder at 0.5m/s). So in essence you would only move the boulder a little, and you a lot!
2006-11-06 18:57:26 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
because you are in deep space... you could not develop any inertia to move the boulder because... you arent on the ground... meaning you will move along with the rock
imagine being submerged in water (not touching the bottom) and trying to swing a rock in your arms...
newtons law of "every action has a opposite action and reaction" will actually push you off of the water molecules and back towards the rock (the rock was pushed back to you)
its the same concept in space, only you have no... or too few molecules to push against, thus not moving...
2006-11-06 18:50:25 · answer #4 · answered by bl00dsuckr 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
im not gunan askwer your question for you, but, the wquestion is asking . . . .even though this boulder doesnt weigh anything, why is it hard to move it back and forth?
2006-11-06 18:46:53 · answer #5 · answered by woundshurtless 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋