Why Is It That An Apple Will Fall To The Earth?

In summary, the Earth and the apple both have gravity, but the Earth's larger mass results in a stronger gravitational pull. This means that while both objects technically move towards each other, the Earth's motion is so small that we typically only talk about the apple moving. However, from different reference frames, either object can be considered as moving. Additionally, the tree is part of the Earth and its mass does play a role in the dynamics of the apple falling.
  • #1
Samia qureshi
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Why Is It That An Apple Will Fall On The Earth And Not That The Earth Will Live It Position And Move To Strike The Apple.is it just because that Earth has gravity. and Earth is a huge place very big material?
 
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Samia qureshi said:
Why Is It That An Apple Will Fall On The Earth And Not That The Earth Will Live It Position And Move To Strike The Apple.is it just because that Earth has gravity. and Earth is a huge place very big material?

Both the apple and the Earth have gravity. The Earth is much more massive, so has a larger gravitational 'pull'.

In fact, due to Newton's third law, the force acting on the apple and the Earth is the same. However, since the mass of the apple is considerably less than that of the Earth, we don't notice the Earth's motion (it is so small, we can ignore it).
 
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Actually they both move, just the Earth move by a negligible distance (ratio of their displacements being a function of the ratio of their masses).
 
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We tend to talk about the apple moving because "the Earth doesn't move" is a convenient convention for every day use. As Borek notes, in Newtonian gravity both Earth and apple accelerate towards each other, but the acceleration is proportional to the mass of the other body - and the Earth is around 1025 times more massive that the apple. In General Relativity both objects are in free fall so there is no reason to prefer one as moving or the other.

Typically we'd talk about the apple moving because that's the human way to think about it. You can use any other perspective you like. For example, we usually say that the moon is orbiting the Earth. In fact, both orbit around a point called the barycentre, exactly because formally we think about the Earth and moon going around each other, not one staying still and the other going round it.
 
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In a geocentric reference frame, the apple moves and the Earth doesn't. In the Malus domestica-centric frame, the Earth moves and the apple doesn't.
 
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  • #6
Tobias Funke said:
In a geocentric reference frame, the apple moves and the Earth doesn't. In the Malus domestica-centric frame, the Earth moves and the apple doesn't.
Yep, and from a frame of reference in which the moon is at rest, they both move.
 
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  • #7
Ibix said:
As Borek notes, in Newtonian gravity both Earth and apple accelerate towards each other, but the acceleration is proportional to the mass of the other body

Lol... it wasn't stated as a fact, but I presume the apple was hanging, or more correctly, supported by a tree... the tree would have a particular mass before the apple fell, but would lose "one apple mass" when the apple separated... wouldn't the tree play some role in this dynamics ?

The tree did become less massive...
 
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OCR said:
The tree did become less massive

The tree is part of the Earth in this scenario.
 
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thank you now its clear to me :smile:
 
  • #10
Tobias Funke said:
In a geocentric reference frame, the apple moves and the Earth doesn't.

The geocentric reference frame is not an inertial frame* so the Earth is moving in absolute terms, albeit with an immeasurably small amount of acceleration.

* An inertial frame of reference is one that's not accelerating.
 

1. Why do apples fall to the Earth?

Apples (and other objects) fall to the Earth due to the force of gravity. Gravity is a natural phenomenon in which two objects with mass are attracted to each other. The Earth has a much larger mass than an apple, so the apple is pulled towards the Earth.

2. Does the size or weight of the apple affect its fall?

Yes, the size and weight of an apple does affect its fall. The force of gravity is directly proportional to the mass of an object. This means that the larger and heavier an object is, the stronger the force of gravity will be and the faster it will fall towards the Earth.

3. Why don't apples float or fly away instead of falling?

Apples (and other objects) don't float or fly away because of the force of gravity. Gravity is constantly pulling objects towards the Earth, so they cannot float or fly away unless another force, such as air resistance or a person's hand, counteracts the force of gravity.

4. Is there a way to make an apple not fall to the Earth?

Yes, there are ways to make an apple not fall to the Earth. One way is to apply an upward force, such as throwing the apple upward, that is greater than the force of gravity pulling it down. Another way is to place the apple in a location where it is not affected by the force of gravity, such as in outer space.

5. Will the apple always fall to the Earth?

In most cases, yes, the apple will always fall to the Earth. This is because the force of gravity is a constant and natural force that is always pulling objects towards the Earth. However, there are certain situations, such as in outer space or in the presence of very strong upward forces, where an apple may not fall to the Earth.

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