The best layman way to demonstrate how gravity is the weakest force
(or rather, how ElectroMagnatism is by far stronger I've ever run
across is simply this:
Jump of the top of a building. Gravity has its (weak) way with you as
you fall through the air, hurdling towards the ground. What happens
when you hit the ground? Gravity looses out to EM and *splat*,
you're stopped INSTANTLY.
I know its not very technical, but it conveys the principle pretty
well, without getting into number majik. heh, I wonder if thats why
I did so poorly in physics, I still think complex math is magical.
:)
Demo aside, I enjoyed Trevor's post. I know in certain circumstances
*ahem* I've had similar ideas, and while I dont necessarily subscribe
to them on a day-by-day basis I can appreciate them on a base level.
If nothing else it makes one feel/(recognize?) that they are
*actually a part* of the greater cosmos...something I think most of
us tend to forget.
Thanks, Trev.
-Rob
www.veovix.com
>[EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] wrote:
>>
>> All of this is acting on a subatomic level as well. As
>> forces of gravity
>> bombard me from all directions (from distant stars as well as
>> asteroids and
>> planets), the "mass" of my matter -- my blood, bones, and
>> tissues are tugged,
>> pushed, and pulled in minuscule ways I cannot consciously
>> recognize.
>
>Bear in mind that gravity is by far the weakest of forces present in our
>particular cosmos, and that its influence falls off inversely with the
>square of the distance.
>
>Meaning a passing car probably has more gravitational influence on you
>than (say) Saturn... (brief pause while I type some constants into
>Excel)... force of Saturn (roughly, since it varies with orbital
>distance) on a 90kg Josh: 1.66e-6 N. Force of a 1000kg car 1m away from
>a 90kg Josh: 6.01e-6 N.
>
>Thus, if you're going to include distant planets in your swirling
>maelstroms of gravitational voodoo, please take into account all nearby
>objects as well.
>
>Also remember that the force exerted by gravity on an object is directly
>proportional to the mass of the object itself. So if Josh lost half his
>mass the force would be halved. Continue splitting Josh until he's the
>mass of a molecule and the force is incredibly small. At that level, the
>electrical and magnetic fields we're all both exposed to and generating
>overwhelm the gravitational field from anything other than a very nearby
>planet (e.g. Earth).
>
>And even then, electromagnetic fields generated by the molecules of our
>bodies keep our brains from puddling in our shoes - fighting the mighty
>tug of the Earth. :)
