My dad said that when things spin they pull objects towards it and the bigger the object, the faster it spins, and the more gravity it has. He said if something really small was spinning a lot faster than something really big than it would have more gravity. I'm learning about this in school and I haven't heard anything of the sort, so I'm seriously doubting my dad's theory...
Could someone give me an accurate explanation of what's actually correct?
2007-12-03 09:46:17 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Spinning has absolutely no effect on gravity. The only thing that affects gravitational pull is an object's mass.
Large objects usually have more mass, therefore they usually have a larger gravitational pull.
2007-12-03 09:51:59 · answer #1 · answered by lithiumdeuteride 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Spinning has no effect on the magnitude of gravity but it has an effect on the direction of gravity. I'm working on a project now where I have to design a turntable that spins a long rectangular line of plants. When the plants are spinning, they grow towards the axis of rotation ( inwards) rather than straight "up".
2007-12-03 09:55:36 · answer #2 · answered by KeplJoey 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your Dad isn't that far from the truth (not the whole story but closer to understanding). Consider centrifugal force. The faster the spinning the easier it is to hold an object to it's surface. Imagine the ride at the county fair.
I won't give you more than that to go on...it will be enough to start your search for answers. Just know that size in space is also not the whole story either...remember that planets and moons spin for more than one reason.
2007-12-03 09:58:03 · answer #3 · answered by Lee 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Nothing.
Your dad is wrong.
The laws of gravity were thoroughly encapsulated by Newton about 300 years ago by the formula
F = G * m1 * m2 /(r^2)
Spin has nothing to do with it. All that matters is the masses of the objects and the distance between them.
2007-12-03 10:16:59 · answer #4 · answered by Clueless Dick 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋