It can look dumb, but I always had this question as a kid, what physical principles would prevent this?
this post was submitted on 11 Feb 2025
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The problem lies in what "unstretchable" and "unbendable" means. Its always molecules and your push takes time to reach the other end. You think its instantaneous because you never held such a long stick. The push signal is slower than the light
Speak for yourself! ๐
Is it instantaneous though?
Basically the speed of sound in that material
It depends on the person who's holding it and pushing it. For me it takes at least three minutes!
Probably wiggly wiggly
Tbh I thought someone would make that joke when i wrote it lol
Alas, the longer the stick is, the floppier it gets.
I would liken it to a long freight train starting to move. Once the front starts moving, it will still be a minute before the back starts moving. The space between the train couplings is like the spring effect between atoms, or something.