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Subject: 
Re: John Leo's opinion of "The West Wing"
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.off-topic.debate
Date: 
Thu, 3 Oct 2002 17:26:21 GMT
Viewed: 
967 times
  
Quoting David Koudys <dkoudys@redeemer.on.ca>:
Would it be a $#*crash*#$ into the side or more of a 'rubbing' every once
in a while to stop the sideways velocity.

I think it'll feel like you're rolling down a steep hill, constantly crashing
against the eastern wall.

Considering that gravity is pulling straight down, and the original
velocity
from the surface spin is moving you east at whatever kph, would the gravity
effectively cancel out the sideways velocity over the distance of the
tunnel, even tho the closer you get to the center of the earth, the slower
the sideways velocity is along the tunnel.

uh, why?  gravity is pulling straight down, your momentum is at 90 degs to the
force - gravity will NOT AFFECT your sideways motion one bit.  I won't cancel
it out, or slow you down.  The only thing slowing down your sideways momentum
(in a painful way) would be the side of the tunnel.

I mean, there is this sideways velocity, but the farther the mass goes 'off
center' from straight down, the more gravity would tend to pull that mass
back to center.

if you were free falling in orbit, that would kind of be correct.  at the right
speed, at the right distance from earth, you might even go into stable orbit.
However, if you only have 8' of sideways motion available, gravity if for all
practical considerations perpendicular to you, and therefore will not change
your lateral speed.

[snip]

And reading Frank's example about the onion and the layers, the effective
mass for attracting an object is lessened as we fall down the hole--I think
this means that our 'terminal velocity' speed would lessen as we get closer
to the center, so does this, in turn, mean that the closer we get to the
center of the planet, the slower we would fall--that we wouldn't have to
get
past the center before we start slowing down, due to being pulled back to
the center?

yup - you won't slow down as you near the center, you'll just accelerate more
slowly.  To slow down a force need to be applied to your falling (flailing?)
body.

[snip]

--
Dan Boger
dan@peeron.com



Message has 2 Replies:
  Re: John Leo's opinion of "The West Wing"
 
(...) Now that I pictured that, I understand it better--the force of gravity is always pointing straight to the center from the object, even if you're a foot to the right from where you were a second ago--my visual image is reprocessed--thanks! (...) (22 years ago, 3-Oct-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
  Tunnel through the center of the Earth (was Re: John Leo's opinion of "The West Wing")
 
(...) Which of course happens as soon as you pass the center... Though the friction of rolling down the side of the tunnel might be enough to stop you at the center. Frank (22 years ago, 3-Oct-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: John Leo's opinion of "The West Wing"
 
(...) Would it be a $#*crash*#$ into the side or more of a 'rubbing' every once in a while to stop the sideways velocity. Considering that gravity is pulling straight down, and the original velocity from the surface spin is moving you east at (...) (22 years ago, 3-Oct-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

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