Today, while thinking about my blog, I realized that I could blog about something really cool this time!
There is actually a way to experience zero G within the limits of our own atmosphere. No, it's not some trip to the earth's core. There is a corporation called Zero G that gives riders of all ages a chance to experience weightlessness. The G-force airplane utilizes parabolic arcs to mimic the sensation of zero G. At first, the plane accelerates up into the air at 45 degrees in relation to the horizon, then falls back down.
In the moments between the rise and fall, you experience "no gravity". Why? At the points when you feel the Zero-G, what you are actually feeling is the sensation of little to no normal force on your body. You are still being acted upon by gravity, but the airplane is falling almost in sync with your body so, in relation to the plane, you are just floating.
This is brought to you by Newtons' second and third laws. In the moments before the free fall you feel a lot of G's on your body which is sensed by the amount of force the plane is pushing against your body and your body is pushing back on the plane. Conversely, during the trip down you feel no G's because the force between you is less. And thank goodness Newton's second law still applies, so you aren't suddenly smashed against the inside of the plane!
There is also physics involving vectors affecting the flight of the plane. One is the wind. Your intended flight path is not the same as your actual flight path if there are high winds. You need to compensate for the wind by flying on a slightly different path in order to achieve the correct trajectory. This is a lot like the relative motion section (haha. Remember that?).
why does it say 2:39AM???
ReplyDelete