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Re: A bumpy ride



Re: "Because of the theory of relativity, I suspect we respond physiologically
to
accelerations, rather than to velocity or distance. Is that correct, or
naive?"

Naive. Our bodies respond to accelerations rather than velocities because of
their inertia and Newton's 2nd law.


Some say that it is 'jerk' that our bodies respond. Jerk = da/dt

Example: A racecar, at high speed, begins SKIDDING across the pavement and
then onto the infield grass. The car is ALWAYS decellerating but the
coefficient of kinetic friction decreases dramatically as we move from the
pavement to the grass.

Our bodies experience a sensation of 'speeding-up' as we hit the slick grass.

It's no accident that stressed Chuck Britton
spelled backwards is desserts. britton@odie.ncssm.edu