Free-Fall Times
Free-fall times represent a fundamental concept in physics, delineating the duration an object takes to plummet under the sole influence of gravity, devoid of any external forces. This concept finds extensive application in fields like astrophysics, engineering, and everyday scenarios, elucidating the motion of objects ranging from celestial bodies to mundane items. Characterized by a universal gravitational acceleration, free-fall times serve as a cornerstone in understanding projectile motion, orbital mechanics, and the dynamics of falling bodies. In essence, they provide a precise framework for analyzing the behavior of objects subjected solely to the force of gravity.
Questions
- When a spinning star shrinks in radius, it speeds up. Why does this happen?
- What is free fall in stellar terms?
- How do you measure time in space?
- Why don't satellites in orbit fall to the ground? Why don't they fly off into space?
- Time travels faster than light. Light has a mass of 0 and according to Einstein nothing can move faster than light if it doesn't have its weight as 0. Then why does time travel faster than light?
- What affect does gravity have on stars?