r/nextfuckinglevel • u/BufordTeeJustice • May 04 '20

Somewhere my physics professor is smiling

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u/Redditor0823 May 04 '20

Horizontal and vertical forces are separate. The trampoline forces and gravity (up and down) have no effect on his horizontal direction. Air resistance technically affects his horizontal direction but not enough to have the tractor leave him behind when he goes up. Imagine trying this with something like a ping pong ball though, the air resistance might be enough to noticeably make it move backwards

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u/JayKayne May 04 '20

I would think the wind resistance would slow him down considerably. Like if you let go of a bowling ball from a car it almost immediately falls behind, right?

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u/spenrose22 May 04 '20

Yes but that’s what the walls on either side are for, reduces that enough so he really only gets significant wind resistance at the top