Sorry to double pos, I just really need help whit this.
You push an air-hockey puck along a surface with negligible friction while riding in a truck as it moves at a constant velocity in Earth's frame of reference. What do you observe? Why?
I'm tempted to say that the puck moves forward because that's all I can think of, but I really don't think that's right; there should be more to it...:(
4 answers
If the truck goes straight ahead at constant velocity its speed has no effect on the problem. You can not tell that the truck is moving unless it accelerates. (Gallilean Transformation)
Ever been in a train when it starts up quietly at the station and you look out the window and think that it is the train beside you that is moving ? :)
The effect of the moving truck has no impact on the traveling puck, you observe, unless you turn around a curve, then the puck appears to move in a curve on the table, but whoaho, if you plot it on Earth's frame of reference, it appears to be going in a straight line. Newton said Duh when he observed this.
Okay, thank you both for your explanations. :)
1 answer