this post was submitted on 28 May 2024
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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] 6 points 5 months ago (4 children)

So why does the bowling ball fall faster in a vacuum? Does it appear faster locally because the heavier object makes local time slower than the lighter object compared to a distant observer? I'm trying to understand what the meme is getting at.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

That's the neat thing: it doesn't

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

The bowling ball also pulls the earth towards itself. This amount is imperceptibly small but still there

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

I’m trying to understand as well.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Because it, ever so slightly, pulls Earth towards it with it's own, miniscule gravity.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (2 children)

But that doesn't make the bowling ball fall faster to a distant observer, just the earth fall twords the ball. To an observer on earth it would appear to fall faster though.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

Yeah, I think the meme is intended from the perspective of an observer on Earth.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

The ball's acceleration is identical to the feather's, but it's fall ends up shorter.