Recent content by Sidewalk

Hi All - OK, I understand that entropy increases over time, thermodynamic arrow , etc. But I don't fully grasp the concept in simple terms. I know that there are apparently many more states of disorder for a particular system than order (like Hawking says, puzzle pieces in a box). So if...

The air Halls of Ivy: First of all, I do think I'm wrong, cause it doesn't make sense to me either, but I'm not sure why, and this is how I picture it. First of all, in order to lose the ridiculous image of this helicopter in a train, either picture the train as being MUCH larger, like a...

Thanks Doc Yup, you're right. I meant a closed car train just like a regular train car, only with no back, so the helicopter wouldn't explode and smash into it once it arrived. So it sounds to me like we've established that the helicopter, upon exiting the train environment would suddenly...

I don't want the helicpoter to do anything in particular. My question is just this - If it was flying along at it's speed opposite to the motion of the train, and the environment of the train suddenly disappeared, what would the helicopter do?

POSTED BY JAMESRC "Well, once the helicopter takes off, it's no longer connected to the train. If it's just hovering, it will remain stationary w.r.t. the ground, not the train." Thanks for your response James, everything makes sense to me except this line. In my mind I picture the hovering...

Well guess what, I'm confused again... OK. Subject A is in a train which is moving eastbound along a track. If A throws a ball straight up into the air, it comes straight down as expected into his/her hands rather than landing behind (westbound of A), because the train and the air in it are...

Hello there - You may remember me from such lackluster questions as what happens to light when it fades? Thanks to everyone for clear responses on that one, I get it now. Anyhow, my new confusion surrounds the rotation of the planet. OK - The Earth rotates once on it's axis in 24...

That totally helps. I guess my main problem was that I was picturing light fading away, rather than spreading out. Makes more sense now, when you spread a teaspoon of butter over a piece of texas toast it looks thinner and eventually seems to dissappear if the toast is big enough, but it's...

Hi all - This is the first time I have posted here, and at this point I have a very limited understanding of physics, and science in general, but I have found much of what I've read here (the parts which I could follow) to be very interesting. I have a very simple question, but it's...

I like the pipe sauna better...