Chapter 4#32Drop a sheet of paper and a coin at the same time. Which reaches the ground first? Why? Now crumple the paper into a small, tight wad and again drop it with the coin. Explain the difference observed. Will they fall together if dropped from a second-, third-, or fourth-story window? Try it and explain your observations.

When a sheet of paper and a coin are dropped at the same time the coin reaches the ground first. Even though gravity pulls on objects evenly, the air resistance of the paper is much greater than the coin and is thus slowed by the air. When the paper is rolled into a tight ball and dropped with the coin they will drop at the same rate. Gravity not only pulls on them equally, but the air resistance on the two objects is the same per body of weight and thus they fall at the same rate. This would be true for objects at any height as long as they have the same resistance per body of weight. It is truly a miraculous thing that they fall at the very specific rate.

coin and balled up paper dropping#33Drop a book and a sheet of paper, and you’ll see that the book has a greater acceleration-g. Repeat, but place the paper beneath the book so that it is forced against the book as both fall, so both fall equally at g. How do the accelerations compare if you place the paper on top of the raised book and then drop both? Then explain your observation.

When I put the book on the bottom of the paper, both fell at the rate of g. When it was put on top, the air resistance on top of the paper lifted the paper above the book and it fell more slowly. Objects fall at g because gravity pulls evenly on everything. It only slows when it encounters air resistance, which is what happens in this instance. There is more surface area acting on the paper per body of weight and it is thus slower than the book.

Book and paper dropping at the same time

Book and paper dropping at the same time

paper dropping on top of bookChapter 5#21Hold your hand like a flat wing outside the window of a moving automobile. Then slightly tilt the front edge upward and notice the lifting effect. Can you see Newton’s laws at work her?

When I tilt my hand upward as it travels through the air Newton’s laws of motion are at work. As I tilted my hand up, Newton’s law became apparent in that for every action there is’ an equal and opposite reaction. The particles in the air would hit my hand and push it upwards into the air. The force was apparent and I had to exert energy to keep my hand in the same place. This is a demonstration of how Newton’s laws affect our daily lives.

#22Try pushing your fingers together. Can you push harder on one finger harder than the other finger?

If you push two of your fingers together one will not be pushed harder than the other. If it is, than both of the fingers will move and will not be in equilibrium. The forces are exactly 180 degrees different than each other, which means that they will subtract in strength of both direction of motion. When you push on them with the same force, and the same mechanisms on your arms that can only provide equal strength, then there will be no movement, which proves that you can’t push on your fingers unequally.