Re: rotating space station

[Rick Tarara <rbtarara@SPRYNET.COM>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kilmer, Skip" <kilmers@GREENHILL.ORG>
To: <PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu>
Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2000 6:29 PM
Subject: Re: rotating space station


> But the ball, being closer to the axis, must be going slower than the
> astronaut's feet. Wouldn't it land behind her?
> Skip

But the straight line path of the ball is shorter than the curved path of
the edge of the station.  Bet it all works out so that the ball hits right
where it should to fool the space station resident into thinking/feeling
that gravity is at work just as if on earth.

I don't follow Michael's reply at all.  I can't see how the MGR is
equivalent to the space station unless on lies flat on the surface of the
MGR with your feet at the outside rim.  The surface would need to be nearly
frictionless (so you will need to be mechanically attached) and then the
ball released from your hand but also in contact with the frictionless
surface.  Then having eliminated the effect of earth's gravity by having
everything in the horizontal plane, I think you'd see the space station
results.

Rick

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Richard W. Tarara
Associate Professor of Physics
Department of Chemistry & Physics
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556
219-284-4664
rtarara@saintmarys.edu

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