Science Memes

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Falling (mander.xyz)

submitted 5 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 5 months ago (3 children)

It's not even because it's heavier, it's because it's way more dense.

[–] [email protected] 61 points 5 months ago (2 children)

It's not density, it's mass. A mass of 1kg compressed to the density of the Sun's core would pull the Earth with just as much force as a 1kg ball of styrofoam.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 5 months ago (1 children)

And is the Sun was replaced with a black hole of the same mass, the Earth would just keep on rotating around it without issues, if slightly frozen

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Xkcd did a what if on a black hole moon (getting it to collapse into one may be impossible, but a black hole the mass of the moon is theoretically stable), and it has the same conclusion, except just slightly colder instead of slightly frozen. And by slightly, I mean almost imperceptible.

https://what-if.xkcd.com/129/

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago

I mean, the Sun also contributes slightly more heat to the Earth compared to the Moon. And by slightly, I mean the difference between cold and frozen

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Just to add some formality to this, the original commenter might want to look up the shell theorem for classical mechanics and Birkhoff's theorem for general relativity.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

The guy on the right, if he be so wise in the ways of science, should be using the word "massive" instead of "heavier".

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Can you explain please

[–] [email protected] 10 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Heavy is a subjective term based on the force of gravity. You are heavier if we weigh you on the earth compared to if you are weighed on the moon.

Your mass in those two examples is unchanged. The amount of mass you have is finite and not subjective like weight.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The feather clearly has a more aerodynamic shape, thus, it wouldn't fall as fast as a sphere with the same weight.

[–] discostjohn 5 points 5 months ago

Lol, no