Tap for spoiler

The bowling ball isn’t falling to the earth faster. The higher perceived acceleration is due to the earth falling toward the bowling ball.

  • pumpkinseedoil@mander.xyzEnglish
    2·
    16 days ago

    You said the two objects accelerate at the same rate, but then in the PS you said the feather gets accelerated faster. What do you mean?

    Both accelerate at the same rate relative to the earth (the bowling ball accelerates slightly slower relative to some outside point, but it accelerates the earth slightly more towards it, resulting in the same relative acceleration to the earth as the feather)

    • BB84@mander.xyzOPEnglish
      51·
      16 days ago

      Newton’s second law works in inertial frames. The acceleration of both objects would be the same in the inertial frame. But in the inertial frame, the earth would accelerate faster toward the object if the object was a bowling ball than if it was a feather.