Re: walk to enjoy the rain

[brian whatcott <inet@INTELLISYS.NET>]

At 01:12 5/28/99 -0400, David wrote:
> Regarding Brian's comment and quibble about my post about the 'walking
> in the rain' problem:
>
> > > 2. The vector velocity v of the rain moving with respect to the person is
> > >   the vector difference v = v_p - v_r where v_p is the vector velocity
> > >   of the running/walking person w.r.t. the ground and v_r is the
> > >   (fixed for an assumed monodisperse distribution of rain drops)
> > >   terminal velocity of the rain drops w.r.t. the ground....
> >
> > > David Bowman
> >
> > This had such clarity that I could follow the development quite well.
> >   Even better, David left a little room for quibbling,
> > than which there is nothing better.
>
> Thanks for the compliment, yet my re-reading of the above caused me to
> discover something *else* to quibble about with my own post.
>
> > To be specific, the person's velocity w.r.t the ground is a modest
> > alternating movement. I'm sure David had in mind the person's
> > velocity w.r.t his destination?
>
> I assumed the person's destination is at rest w.r.t. the ground, so that
> the person's velocity w.r.t. the ground is also his/her velocity w.r.t.
> the destination. ....
> David Bowman

It seems to me that we see here, a worthy example of a usage
beloved of physicists: 'velocity' with respect to destination.

I had not noticed, but it seems to me that a person's rainload
 depends to some extent on his 'speed' parallel to the ground
on which he walks or runs, if we exclude the steepest declivities
(but not on his velocity.)
    Now *THAT'S* what I call a quibble - against myself!  :-)



brian whatcott <inet@intellisys.net>
Altus OK