go interceptorsSmigrodzki, Rafal Wrote:
>I seem to remember from physics 101 that mass doesn't count in vacuum. Trajectory of an object in free fall in vacuum does not depend >on shape, or size, either. Am I wrong?
You are not wrong. The force of gravity will effect a hundred pound object 100 times as strongly as a one pound object but the mass, that is the property to resist a change in motion, is also 100 times as big. The net result is that they both move in the same trajectory. Heavy things do not fall faster than light things in a vacuum. The only time things get more complicated is if you're dealing with objects in orbit than are similar to the mass of the Earth like the moon. because then you not only have to deal with the effect on the moon by the Earth also the effect on the Earth by the moon ; but that's irrelevant if your dealing with tiny things like warheads.
John K Clark jonkc@att.net
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Fri Oct 12 2001 - 14:39:56 MDT