elaborate hoax or alien technology?

[FreeTime]

Looks rather fragile to me. Possibly made in China, everything else is these days.

 

 

[TheCorinthian]

well if you bothered to read the machine's documentation, you'd have known that the machine turns off the gravity of certain objects.

 

and what the hell are you doing in Iraq?

 

{Edit: 1500mph was to high, the real number should be about 1000mph.}

 

Of course I did not read the article it was like 10 pages long and the pics were enough BS for me!

 

As for the problem with anti gravity, here is how it works on Earth....

 

(We are assuming that you are not doing true anti gravity, which would by definition be exerting a force in reverse of gravity which would cause you to shoot off our little ball at about seven miles a secound, but mearly "switching gravity off" for your machine. What most people think of as "Anti Gravity" is really "Gravity Nullification")

 

Earth is a big ball and is spinning at a fast enough rate that it completes a full turn in about 24 hours. We and just about everything else is held down by gravity. (The strange force that is a function of the mass of an object.)

 

If you were to "turn gravity off," that is, release an object from the force that is holding it down, then you would see the effect of inertia and centripetal force exert themselves in macro extremes.

 

An example would be to be on a fast moving marry-go-round and jumping up but having nothing to pull you back down. (You turned off the gravity effect remember?) You would either fly through the roof or collide with the horse that would then be coming at you at a staggering rate.

 

No let's add air resistance to this. All the air currents around us are created more or less by the gravity of the spinning earth and heat from the sun. Close to the ground the air is moving with the earth at about the same general speed, which is about 1000MPH. If you nullify gravity's effect for yourself, the air is going to start hitting you and blowing you around like a leaf. With nothing to pull you down (or in any direction) you will be at the mercy of the winds as to which way you go.

 

And let's not forget the curve of the earth. Assuming you are starting your trip on the ground when you turn your null-gravity device on, you are going to feel a large sling shot effect. (Not the Wrist Rocket kind, but the David and Goliath kind.) Remember, gravity is holding you to the planet, switch it off and nothing is, so as the planet starts to make its ark, which for you would be right when you turn on your device, you are going to sling shot like the stone in the weapon once it is released. Which would be either out in to space or the next mountain.

 

Here is a link to a NASA JPL piece about if the earth suddenly stopped turning and how we would all go careening into the next wall at about MACH 1.5!!

 

http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry/ask/q1168.html

 

 

You know, there is a guy in BKK that has come up with a device he swears will achieve anti gravity. He calls it SWAS or something like that. His name is Al. Some one here is bound to know him. He is a great ol'US expat!

 

And I am in Iraq doing environmental work. Once upon a time though, back in the early 90s, I was a nuclear engineer and a theoretical scientist.

 

 

[Weird]

Let's not forget your current momentum.

 

In the marry-go-round example, the horse would not be going any faster at you then before (because your current momentum is taking you in the same direction as the earth). And considering things in motion stay in motion, enless something was slowing you down, you'd continue to maintain your current velocity equal to that of the earth. If anything the current air resistance/atmosphere around you would ensure that you kept that momentum similiar to being stuck in jello.

 

Let's also not forget if you tried to jump off the earth you'd encounter air resistance so your current speed would actually be declining as you went upward.

 

 

Note: We aren't talking about either object stopping completely, we are talking about 1 force out of many no longer in the balance.

[TheCorinthian]

Yes, and I thought of that, air resistance would be negligible but still there, as I pointed out you would likely hit the ceiling as the main force acting upon you, namely gravity, would no longer apply. Or if there is no ceiling, fly out in to space.

 

There is also the sling shot effect as, unlike on a merry go round analogy, on earth you are more on the outer edge of a fast spinning Ferris wheel, held down by the gravity of the whole thing. (A Ferris wheel is probably a better example now that I think about it.) If you turn the gravity off, zoooom!

 

Totally off topic but another fun science equation I posted is in this thread. (Amount of energy in a paperclip.)

 

http://www.thai360.com/fbb/showtopic.php?tid/521800/post/613897/hl//#613897

 

[Weird]

There is no sling shot effect. For there to be a sling shot effect you have to have an upward force on you as well. Your ferris wheel example doesn't hold any water. If anything we have more forces pushing downward on us then we do pushing up minus gravity.

 

Now take into consideration the Theory of relativity and the fact that the planet is moving has no bearing what-so-ever on what would happen to you if gravity were removed.

 

 

If you actually believe that you would be flung off the earth then am I to assume you believe that if you stood on one side fo the earth you would be crushed by the earth smashing into you + gravity and on the other side you would merely fly off because the earth is moving away so fast?

[shygye]

Newton's 1st Law: An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

 

Do the math!

[TheCorinthian]

If I could figure out how to draw on this forum I could probably explain it better. Yes, there are other forces pushing against us but none of them are holding you to the planet. The weight of the atmosphere is not holding you down any more than the weight of the water in a pool is. The atmosphere is pushing against you from just about all sides: pressure. But pressure is not a holding force, but a crushing one. In fact, unless tied down, nothing is holding you to the earth but gravity.

 

Newton's law of rest and motion does apply, just not as you are proposing. You are moving right along with everything else on the planet at about 1000mph in a curve. (Remember the earth is curved and that is important.) You donâ??t feel it as you are held own by the planet's attraction. If you turn of the main, if not the only, thing holding you to the earth- if you make your self weightless, you are going to feel a dramatic change. As you point out about Newton's laws, (Which Einstein refuted, BTW.) your motion will continue in a path but not a curved one as gravity will no longer be holding you to the earth's curve. You will continue in a strait line. (You will stay in motion unless acted upon by another force to change your direction.)

 

 

[Sukhumvit]

Gravity nullification is nuffink without a flux capacitor.

And the only one of them in existence is fitted to a De Lorean.

 

[TheCorinthian]

Ha!!! Good one!

 

Oh and here is Al's link:

 

http://www.swas.org/swasarticle1.htm

[Weird]

So which way are you going to fly huh? The sun is not a fixed point so technically we are not just orbiting the sun.

 

"The weight of the atmosphere is not holding you down any more than the weight of the water in a pool is. "

 

It has nothing to do with the weight(weight being relative to gravity) of the atmosphere. It has everything to do with having to move another mass out of your way to take its space.

 

The moon has significantly less gravity (say 1/6th?) yet astronaughts do not shoot randomly off into space while on the moon. (in regards to velocity around the sun on an eliptical path)