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Re: [Phys-l] Weightless






[Original Message]
From: John Denker <jsd@av8n.com>

On 11/21/2006 02:00 PM, Anthony Lapinski wrote:
In my view the free body diagram on the astronaut shows one arrow
pointing
toward the Earth. It is the weight of the astronaut, or mg (g = 8.7 up
there). The astronaut is in free fall, and they have plenty of weight.
It
is this force which makes them accelerate in orbit. But the scale reads
zero, so they have no apparent weight.

This is more clear to me, but we each have our own way of explaining
things.

Anybody out there with a different way of explaining "weightless"
astronauts?

Does anybody out there /not/ have a different way of explaining
weightlessness???


YES...I think many of us would go along with Anthony, and the idea that the
astronauts are apparently weightless, or experience a weightless condition.
I use this, and believe I am consistent with my definition and usage. I
believe there are advantages to doing this for the level of student being
taught. Clearly some disagree, but I seriously doubt that the usage Anthony
has given is rare nor should it be ridiculed as above. [Yes John, I know
you don't mean it as ridicule, but that is how it comes out--at least in
print!]

Rick