Ask a physicist anything. (2)

[catzrfluffy]

What is behind this deep affection?

 

[laconicstudent]

What is behind this deep affection?

Electromagnetism I think.

 

[catzrfluffy]

Catz assassinates thread.

 

[TerranceL]

A deep affection?

Hahaha!

 

[Wiccan_Child]

*shuffles into the room holding a mug of Advocaat and a fаg*

hap' new 'ear...

*shuffles out of the room*

Something occurred to me the other day.

I'm sitting in my room. Sitting still.

But my house is sitting on a tectonic plate that is moving.

That is sitting on a planet that is spinning.

That planet is orbiting a star.

That is orbiting the black hole at the center of the galaxy.

That is moving with another cluster of galaxies.


Question:

Did I leave anything out?

Anybody have ANY idea how fast i'm actually moving?

Is there anything in the universe that doesn't move?

The principle of relativity renders your question nonsensical .

What is between atoms?

Classically, nothing. Just empty space.
Quantum mechanically, it's a blurry mix of electron wavefunctions and virtual particles that don't quite do anything... but they do enough to make physicists scratch their heads.

 

[Assyrian]

Aether.

 

[TerranceL]

The principle of relativity renders your question nonsensical .

LOL.

Explain please.

 

[Wiccan_Child]

LOL.

Explain please.

Basically, velocity is relative. You can only measure it from a pre-established frame of reference. For example, a car can be said to be travelling at 30mph... but only with respect to the road beneath it. From the point of view of the driver, the car is stationary: he feels the wind moving, not him.

However, the human mind evolved to always take the Earth as stationary, so we intuitively think that absolute motion exists. That bird is moving along, that leaf is blowing about in the wind.

 

[AV1611VET]

However, the human mind evolved to always take the Earth as stationary, so we intuitively think that absolute motion exists.

Speaking of the earth and the the human mind, since the curvature of a circle's circumference decreases as the size of the circle increases, is this why the earth appears flat to someone standing on it?

 

[Wiccan_Child]

Speaking of the earth and the the human mind, since the curvature of a circle's circumference decreases as the size of the circle increases, is this why the earth appears flat to someone standing on it?

That's it in a nutshell. I once worked out how far away the horizon is, just for kicks.

 

[AV1611VET]

That's it in a nutshell. I once worked out how far away the horizon is, just for kicks.

30 miles?

 

[TerranceL]

30 miles?

Wouldn't the distance to the horizon be different on a hillside than it would be on a flat plain?

 

[AV1611VET]

Wouldn't the distance to the horizon be different on a hillside than it would be on a flat plain?

No.

 

[Assyrian]

You do realise the earth is round?

 

[AV1611VET]

You do realise the earth is round?

Yes --- the Bible compares it to a pearl.

 

[Chesterton]

You do realise the earth is round?

Whether the earth was round or flat, the distance would still vary depending on elevation, right?

 

[ProtectionofMotherofGod]

Can anyone help me on this thread? Thank you in advance!

I have a 7ft X 6ft pine chest in my carriage house. It probably weights 300+ lbs. I want to move this giant chest into my house and put it in the pantry The problem is that I can only take it in my front door so I must move it up my 30 degree hill driveway to the level sidewalk which leads to my door. The length of this steep hill is about 40 feet long

I have considered trying to find friends? to help me lift it into the back of a truck, but it is so big, it will rupture all the disks in my friends’ backs=no more friends for me. There is little chance that a professional moving van could climb back up the steep hill, so I haven’t called them. I also considered disassembling it, but it is very old with very long nails and this might split the boards

Any ideas?

 

[Tinker Grey]

Get it up on one of those 4-wheel piano dollies. You should be able to roll it up with little problem.

Here's a collection of images: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=piano+dolly&gbv=2&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

You should be able to rent one at a moving company.

 

[Assyrian]

Can anyone help me on this thread? Thank you in advance!

I have a 7ft X 6ft pine chest in my carriage house. It probably weights 300+ lbs. I want to move this giant chest into my house and put it in the pantry The problem is that I can only take it in my front door so I must move it up my 30 degree hill driveway to the level sidewalk which leads to my door. The length of this steep hill is about 40 feet long

I have considered trying to find friends? to help me lift it into the back of a truck, but it is so big, it will rupture all the disks in my friends’ backs=no more friends for me. There is little chance that a professional moving van could climb back up the steep hill, so I haven’t called them. I also considered disassembling it, but it is very old with very long nails and this might split the boards

Any ideas?

A lot of friends, some sort of wheels or trolley, and a block and tackle system. Put a lot of thought into safety, how to stop it if it breaks free, (sandbags on the path behind it?) and keep you friends on the ropes out if its path.

 

[Assyrian]

Whether the earth was round or flat, the distance would still vary depending on elevation, right?

No if the earth was flat you would be able to see all the way to the edge. With a round earth the higher you are the further around the curvature you see.