All Questions
46
questions
2
votes
4
answers
167
views
Does it take more energy to bring a car to a halt if it is still accelerating on impact than travelling at constant speed?
So, my physics is quite rusty, been out of varsity for a while.
A friend asked me this and I am still pondering. Here is the scenario:
2 Cars are travelling towards a wall, and make impact with the ...
- 29
1
vote
0
answers
73
views
What is happening on an atomic level (or lower) when a object is in motion (inertia)?
If you have an iron ball and throw it upwards you are imparting a force which opposes gravity.
Initially this force is easily understood by your hand pushing the ball upwards, so the atoms in your ...
- 129
-1
votes
4
answers
220
views
How can you figure out when inertia or momentum is keeping the object in motion?
If we consider the case of Earth, inertia carries the Earth forward (inertia alone will make the Earth go out of orbit so gravity keeps it in orbit around the sun), but if we consider the case of a ...
- 419
0
votes
2
answers
109
views
Are there two competing definitions of "inertia"?
The term inertia is often introduced by stating Newton's first law: An object stays at rest or moves with $\vec{v}=const.$, if the resultant force is zero. This feature of masses is called "...
-2
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Why is a larger force needed when you decrease the distance in regards of torque? [closed]
I think it's because of inertia.
- 107
1
vote
3
answers
315
views
Why don't we use momentum to quantify inertia?
My understanding of Newton's 1st and 2nd laws have led me to believe that inertia and momentum are the same.
1st law: An external force is required to overcome an object's inertia
2nd law: Force is ...
0
votes
1
answer
174
views
Inertia of an elevator
Imagine a situation where we have a relatively light empty elevator moving up at a pretty high constant velocity say something above $10\ m/s$, just so that it has a considerable amount of momentum ...
2
votes
4
answers
799
views
Is there any relation between inertia and momentum?
Inertia is the that property of an object because of which that object resists a change in its state of rest or motion.
Momentum of an object is the product of mass and velocity, or its the quantity ...
- 133
-4
votes
1
answer
99
views
If you could zero out your momentum, could you travel faster than the speed of light [closed]
I figure I'm going to get ridiculed for this question, and maybe deservedly so. The sensor images and eyewitness accounts from the Naval Aviators released last year of unexplained aerial phenomena ...
- 207
2
votes
3
answers
513
views
Are there any explanations for Inertia at atomic level? [closed]
At macroscopic level we can observe inertia. But what explanations are there for Inertia at molecular/atomic/quantum level?
- 395
0
votes
3
answers
202
views
What would happen if an astronaut tried to swing a baseball bat in free fall?
I am interested in finding out how swinging a baseball bat or similar object would affect the astronaut's rotation in free fall, on the ISS for instance. How much would the astronaut swing the bat, ...
0
votes
2
answers
228
views
What factors influence the energy loss in a bounce?
Suppose a spherocylindrical solid is let to fall from some height to a flat, solid surface, bouncing some height up after it reaches the surface. The object clearly loses some of its energy due to the ...
0
votes
2
answers
308
views
Physics of pushing the top of a box a little bit to make it rock back and forth
Context:
I'm trying to make a simulation of a box that you can apply force to the top and it will oscillate back and forth until the energy in the system reaches equilibrium again.
Visual ...
- 111
0
votes
2
answers
36
views
Is there a way to find out how long a body will glide after a force is applied once? [closed]
Can you tell how long a body will retain it's motion after being given a push from x amount of force (ex. 15 force applied, motion will last 18 seconds)?
- 75
5
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Do photons have inertia?
We all know the example where we say that a massless box containing photons has inertia, because the photons exert pressure of the inner walls of the box.
But my question is about a single photon ...
- 29k