merdryn
53694
2519
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Okay, prove it.
Prove that gravity accelerates all objects at the same rate regardless of their mass? Road trip to Ohio! (hat tip to @realultimatepower for making me actually re-read the shit I write)
Galileo was ... right?
Well, let's see.
Shit.
Okay, so what happened?
Air happened. Stupid air. Filling up our lungs with its toxins.
This place sucks.
Sucks hard. Over three hours, it sucks hard, until the over 66,000 pounds of air are removed. Well, not totally. There are about two grams left.
I messed up converting metric "tonnes" in this image, sorry! It's about 66,000 pounds, or 30,000 kilograms.
And yet, it moves.
Yeah, I know, he probably didn't say that, but it's a cool story, bro.
I sped this up to approximately real time, since the original show had it in slow-motion.
So what did you think, scientists?
A lot of the scientists working in this facility had never actually done this experiment. The vacuum chamber is used to simulate the near-total vacuum of space so they can test materials. The novelty of it is overwhelming for some, who just stare in disbelief that the bowling ball and the feather fell at the same rate.
Did he really just say?
Yeah, holy mackerel. I know I'd have more choice words if I got to watch this in real life.
Slower, you slut.
Okay.
inverseCosinePadawanmeme
That's a big door.
Fenrir2539
Reposted but much improved. +1 internet point
ImguriansFillMySaltReservoir
"world's biggest vacuum chamber" *sees a guy inside it* Uhhhhh...
GorgeFloyd
It's not kept under vacuum at all times.
PrinceHumperdinckHumperdinckHumperdinck
Slower you sl... Oh never mind. Thanks.
WellTimedFreeman
Why again?! They did it on the Moon!
merdryn
Have you seen the potato quality of that video? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03SPBXALJZI
justawannabang
what's aerosmith over there?
PrivateOstrich242
+1 for prof. Brian Cox! I do an excellent impression of him you know
Logmein
Neat
MrPornProfessional
Sweet? Petite?
merdryn
Neat
NeatGif
http://imgur.com/S6R4nW1
ValentinGenev
This place looks like a real life Black Mesa experiment chamber.
lupusfulgaris
The world's biggest vacuum chamber is actually my ex
JohnSmithterms
I am gonna upvote at least 5 of your comments for this. lol
whynotnivnac
HOLY MACKEREL
nakanda
Is there a link to a video or something of this? I would like to show it to a professor of mine
ZaphodBbx
Sure they fall at the same speed, but which would you rather get hit with? -- Actually this is an awesome demonstration to see done.
merdryn
Something, something, bowl me over with a feather.
MrWoodchip
Brian Cox smiles too much. It unnerves me.
trina1978
Phew for one horrible moment I thought gravity was just another twisted lie told by my parents like Father Christmas and true love.
Panzer89
I suspect I'll get some mileage out of this one:
Flamennight
I appreciate the slower for all us pervs out here
jonestown
now do it with a cat
LordTrapper
Can't Schrodinger is using it.
merdryn
Or is he?
aurbanpirate
@stevenkelby
longjohnvonstrangle
They could have used a dyson
DefinitelyProbablyPooping
But Dyson also makes fans
merdryn
That would've sucked. http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03013/dyson_3013437b.jpg
Th3Badge
The proper amount of suction.
unoriginal5623
Kirby would've been a better choice
HillaryClintonsEyes
Dyson vacuum cleaners are actually pretty bad
Flyith2
Yeah, they suck
TheOriginalJerk
Or OPs mom, I hear she sucks
VitaliyKalash
Plot twist: OPs mom is a Dyson.
merdryn
Even better when her dentures are out.
realultimatepower
Actually, the force of gravity IS directly proportional to mass, but the ACCELERATION is constant in this case. Fg = mg.
merdryn
Check #1 now, @realultimatepower
realultimatepower
Hah, ^5, Mr. Hampton from high school physics would be proud.
HansKristianMller
Okay. Since no one else has mentioned this, I will: The force is not equal between objects of different mass, the acceleration is. Good post
merdryn
Someone else did, and I fixed it already. :)
Jononimgur
Oh yeah! Thanks! F=ma
AFormerPotheadsOpinion
I believe Galileo used a gavel. And they tested this when they went to the moon. There was still some resistance but the result were eviden
SiameseCitys
Are you telling me this was officially "proven" until 1969? I'm sure there was wind in Italy. What did Galileo's experiments prove?
PikachooBacca
t
AFormerPotheadsOpinion
That damn 140 character limit! Thanks for the T mate
tatercake
Holy shit Galileo went to the moon? Neat.
ProudAussie
I was there. Got photos too.
tatercake
Fuck oath mate
Squossifrage
How would there be resistance on the moon?
ProudAussie
It's a bunch of teenagers that don't like the current authority of the moon.
merdryn
Apollo 15 Commander David Scott did this on the moon with a hammer and a feather: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03SPBXALJZI
NopeHunter
the sauce boss
BlueDsc
I really love the "well how bout that?"
merdryn
His reaction is why I fucking love science. Because of that joy of discovering or seeing things for yourself that science tells you is true.
AFormerPotheadsOpinion
There it is! Saw this in a physical science class and it sorta blew my mind. But I now comprehend the idea
xspartanx117x
I still am uncertain why a piece of paper and a book don't fall at similar rates I know it seems silly but it always confused me
merdryn
Paper is more affected by the "fluid" of the air than the book because (among other things) gravity exerts less force over less massive item
xspartanx117x
Actually that really helps me figure it out thanks man/ma'am
frjackhackett
so am i right in thinking that this happens because the earth's falling towards both the things as they're falling towards the earth?
myrrlyn
Gravity provides equal momentum to both attractors. Earth's mass is huge, so its velocity is tiny. Fallers' mss is tiny and velocity is huge
frjackhackett
so the velocity's not relative, i can't say that if i'm falling at 50m/s or whatever it is then the earth's falling that fast towards me?
merdryn
Technically, you correct in that the earth is "falling" towards them (it's deeper than that) but the objects fall much faster than the earth
merdryn
And as we know, that's the best kind of correct.
frjackhackett
right, so why do things fall exactly in line like that, or why can they in principle without air and other forces acting on them
merdryn
Because they had no other velocity relative to the reference frame of the mass that's doing the "pulling". If they did, and it was 1/2
merdryn
Fast enough, and to the side, they would fall forever sideways and down at the same time... An orbit. 2/2
frjackhackett
right, so it's because the mass of the earth is the same for everything
mikeatike
What's a space power facility?
merdryn
https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_648.html
mikeatike
Nice, thanks.
papapaoomowmowpapaoomowmowmowpapapaooomamowmowpapaoo
A facility that powers space.
mikeatike
Or is it a facility that generates power from space. Kind of like a ZPM.
Jononimgur
Flol!!
libbee
Soo.. If the facility shuts down, so does space?
Jononimgur
Yip! Scary huh?
YesIamTheDevilButIDontExistSoDontListenToMeBesidesIamNotADoctor
let's spend a shit ton of money to prove what we have already proven, but for shits and giggles!
notme222
It's not science money. It's media money. You can still argue it's wasteful, but so is most stuff on TV.
ATimeTravellingRobotFromTheFuture
And illustrating the properties of physics in a way that can interest and inspire future generations to go into scientific careers.
AngainorChains
let's just read the text alongside the gifs
khora
The lack of repeated experiments and studies is actually a growing problem.
phoreal2000
To inspire kids and get normal people interested in science... Create the next genereation of scientist and get funds to do their research.
yetipc
well they use it for other things, like expanding marshmellow peeps
WhiteWolfSix
Pumping it out wasn't particularly expensive... you know they didn't build the chamber for this, right?
Melonfish
You've just literally described science.
LongwindedPuntificator
*Science education
YesIamTheDevilButIDontExistSoDontListenToMeBesidesIamNotADoctor
not exactly
poopoo911
Religion tries to avoid this at all costs.
merdryn
I don't know why, maybe my vision is going, but when I first read that, it said "Klingons try to avoid this at all costs." Weird. Carry on!
poopoo911
Upvote klingons at all cost
DrRepost
Religion has both funded science and halted scientific advancement. Blanket statements are usually wrong.
xspartanx117x
Maybe this blanket statement about blanket statements is wrong but then it would create a paradox that can't be typed here
DrRepost
Blanket statements about blanket statements are always right.
merdryn
Well, for what it's worth, the BBC spent the money.
cazzegiare
i clicked on all those ads for this?? pshhh
iguessidontknowhowtospellimaganative
so "let's spend a ton of British peoples money"
merdryn
To educate all the people who otherwise wouldn't give a shit about science? Yep, that's what they did.
ArcipluvianCosmicGallows
If you need to educate someone that things fall at the same rate I would just give up and move on to someone who's less of a lost cause.
TwoAyEm
Yep. That's the point of the BBC.
StarryPlough
American TV would blame it on god, or communism.
PhillyFlash
Yeah that's why we got to the moon. Take your shitty country and sit in the back
MrFBI
I laughed too hard ????
MightyShoePrint
That's such a ridiculously stupid statement. We have known for a while its GMO's and autism contracted from a flu shot that causes this
ImgurMontoya
As an American, TIL I've apparently never seen "American TV"