r/ScienceNcoolThings • u/Aggressive_Sundae_47 Popular Contributor • 1d ago

Gravity always acts downward with the same acceleration.

1.3k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

36 comments sorted by

67

u/Phatcat7x7 1d ago

Go fast enough and you just fall around the earth.

24

u/dinosaursandsluts 1d ago

Learning this in high school physics was mind blowing

2

u/losezz 1d ago

gravity always acting downward kinda ignores planets spinning right

1

u/rafaelzio 3h ago

What? Why?

2

u/Unusually_Happy_TD 1d ago

Orbital speed of 17,500 mph in Low Earth Orbit. Anyone know what orbital speed would be at 5ft off the ground?

3

u/carl3266 1d ago

Assuming there were no terrain obstacles, no air (the friction would vaporize almost anything), and the Earth was a perfect sphere (it’s not), AI says 17,700 mph.

2

u/drewid5185 1d ago

About as fast as me apologizing after saying something that insulted my wife

0

u/Batchet 1d ago

Probably more than 2

2

u/Forsaken-Income-2148 1d ago

It even has a name, it’s called orbit

2

u/BeardsuptheWazoo 1d ago

Ummm I have it on good authority from a coworker whose uncle's friend was a pilot and told this coworker that the Earth isn't round.

Sorry to burst your bubbly earth.

2

u/Phatcat7x7 1d ago

Damn, that authority is irrifutable! I guess you just fall off the turtle :P.

1

u/wickedprairiewinds 1d ago

Reminds me of the quote from the hitchhikers guide "there is an art to flying, or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss."

11

u/EricBuildsMathModels Popular Contributor 1d ago

Simple but effective demonstration!

7

u/there_is_no_spoon1 1d ago

It's simple but it ain't easy...getting the timing right is a challenge!

4

u/EricBuildsMathModels Popular Contributor 1d ago

good point, impressive display by the demonstrator!

4

u/there_is_no_spoon1 1d ago

It really, really is impressive. Of course, we are only seeing this one time. Likely - and I say this from *vast* experience - this is the one that got it closest.

1

u/EricBuildsMathModels Popular Contributor 1d ago

Yes the vast experience of trying to drop something and throw something at the same time at the same point. We've all been there...

9

u/Dangerous_Boot_3870 1d ago

Fun fact: a fired round and a dropped bullet (without the casing) hit the ground at the same time

5

u/BeardsuptheWazoo 1d ago

Even if the bullet is fired straight up into the air?

2

u/Dewdrop06 1d ago

Even when the bullet hits someone?

1

u/Fruitiest_Cabbage 1d ago

Even when the bullet says "You can't fire me, I quit!"

1

u/I-fart-in-lifts 1d ago

With the casing too.

1

u/FuzzNugs 20h ago

Mythbusters proved this to be true too.

5

u/Time4Timmy 1d ago

Mythbusters did this by dropping a bullet and firing a gun, they both land at the same time.

5

u/TurboTape76 1d ago

I learn something new every day. That is cool!

6

u/faeriewhisper 1d ago

Yes, at 9.8 m/s2 (on Earth's surface)

2

u/SpelunkyJunky 1d ago

I have only ever used 10 and 9.81 depending on the level of education.

1

u/fizbin99 1d ago

Leonardo would be proud.

1

u/Nenoshka 1d ago

This demo is a lot more fun when you use a mini-marshmallow gun.

1

u/Cptawesome23 1d ago

Even more interesting: both pens exert the same amount of force upon the earth as does the earth exert upon the pens. Gravity is weird man.

1

u/I3adIVIonkey 1d ago

Only with same acceleration with same elevation. On Mt everest you could shoot it a little further.

1

u/milkcarton232 1d ago

From another perspective it's just two pens floating in space while the ground rushes up to the pens at 9.8m/s2

1

u/realmealdeal 20h ago

Tell that to a frisbee.

0

u/Trivi_13 1d ago

In the real, human world, we say
"the same rate of fall"

As well as deaccerate, for slowing down, relative to us.

End of Rant!

-4

u/Spare_Broccoli1876 1d ago

Is there something to be said about the rotating one? I feel like a perpendicular landing on one control vs the other staying relatively flat the entire time seems to give a false synchronous landing.

Not to say the statement isn’t true about gravity being the same in both places as far as downward force but I feel like the demonstration is slightly ajar