Re: Cause and Effect

[Leigh Palmer <palmer@SFU.CA>]

> I had written...
>
> >  >A lot of students think that a ball that is thrown accelerates while it is
> >  >in the air as a result of a "force of the throw" (have them consider a
> >  >curve ball, for example).
> >  >
> >  >Might our use of the word "cause" be contributing to this misconception?
>
> to which Leigh wrote:
>
> >  Do you believe that the force acing on the spinning, translating ball
> >  would not be present if the ball were prevented by a constraint from
> >  curving? I don't; I believe that a real force of constraint would be
> >  necessary to equilibrate the Bernoulli force to prevent the curving.
>
> Let me be a little clearer.  Might our use of the word "cause" be
> inadvertently reinforcing this misconception by implying a
> non-simultaneity between force and acceleration?

Do you believe that a cause must precede an effect in time? I would
offer force and acceleration as a Gegenbeispiel. What I find
difficult to understand is why anyone would doubt the causal relation
between force and acceleration. Does anyone here seriously doubt it?

Leigh