It’s the last The plane was pretty empty for that day’s flight. So you’re thinking, well, if I move up a few rows, I might have a window seat with an unobstructed view in the wings.
Not so fast, Buster.. The flight attendant says that’s not allowed. If you are not seated in your assigned seat, the weight distribution of the plane will be disrupted. Really? Would moving just one normal-sized human make a difference? Yes, you know where this is going. Answering this question requires a great deal of physics. Let’s get started!
center of gravity
It is often said that the center of mass of an object is where all the force of gravity acts on it. Although this is a reasonable definition and can be used to solve many physics problems, it is not the case in practice. In reality, gravity is at work, so all It’s not just a point, it’s part of an object.
(Quick side note: Let’s see. center of gravityis not the center of gravity, but in a constant gravitational field like here on Earth, they are the same. )
If you really want to understand the center of gravity, you need to think about the following: torque. If we look back at Newton’s second law, it states that a net force changes the motion of an object (Fnet = mass × acceleration). Therefore, if the net force is zero, the motion of the object will not change. If it is moving at a constant speed, it will continue to move. If you are resting, you will continue to rest.
It’s a little experiment. Place the pencil on a flat table and use your two index fingers to press the center of the opposite side. It just stays there, right? We are applying equal and opposite forces, so the net force is zero. But what happens when you push like this:
pencil pushGraphics: Rhett Alleyne
(Tag Translation) Physics
