Discovering Intuitive Velocity: Methods for Estimating Acceleration and Distance

  • Thread starter Thread starter Loren Booda
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Intuition Velocity
AI Thread Summary
Estimating acceleration can be achieved by assessing the force experienced by an individual. Distance can be judged through methods like parallax, focus, and the divergence of sound and sight. Velocity is inherently relative, determined by comparing movement to a stationary object, such as the ground while walking or driving. The discussion raises the question of whether detecting object redshift from a cosmic microwave background reference could yield an absolute measure of velocity. Additionally, it inquires about the existence of a theoretical physical space where acceleration might be considered relative.
Loren Booda
Messages
3,108
Reaction score
4
One may estimate acceleration by the force one experiences.

One may judge distance by several methods - such as parallax, focus, and sound/sight divergence.

What, however, is the most direct means of sensing one's velocity intuitively?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Since velocity is only relative, the only way to judge velocity is relative to something that is "stationary". For example, you can get your velocity relative to the street when walking or riding in a car.
 
Then I guess displacement is also relative (the tests I mentioned for it being indirect), whereas acceleration is not.

If we were able to detect object redshift from an unshifted MBR reference point, would that provide an absolute (as opposed to relative) measure of velocity?

Is there a theoretical physical space where acceleration is relative in general?
 

Thread '1:1 versus 2:1 Mechanical Advantage debate'

The rope is tied into the person (the load of 200 pounds) and the rope goes up from the person to a fixed pulley and back down to his hands. He hauls the rope to suspend himself in the air. What is the mechanical advantage of the system? The person will indeed only have to lift half of his body weight (roughly 100 pounds) because he now lessened the load by that same amount. This APPEARS to be a 2:1 because he can hold himself with half the force, but my question is: is that mechanical...
View full post »

Thread 'Newton's first law?'

Some physics textbook writer told me that Newton's first law applies only on bodies that feel no interactions at all. He said that if a body is on rest or moves in constant velocity, there is no external force acting on it. But I have heard another form of the law that says the net force acting on a body must be zero. This means there is interactions involved after all. So which one is correct?
View full post »

Thread 'Free fall of person in a sled to direct horizontal motion by atmospheric resistance'

Let there be a person in a not yet optimally designed sled at h meters in height. Let this sled free fall but user can steer by tilting their body weight in the sled or by optimal sled shape design point it in some horizontal direction where it is wanted to go - in any horizontal direction but once picked fixed. How to calculate horizontal distance d achievable as function of height h. Thus what is f(h) = d. Put another way, imagine a helicopter rises to a height h, but then shuts off all...
View full post »

Similar threads

I Why does the main muscle use the most energy in body movements?
Replies
24
Views
2K
B Impulse and distance from the axis of rotation
Replies
9
Views
2K
Estimating Torque from Power over Time
Replies
2
Views
2K
Tangential and centripetal acceleration in circular motion
Replies
4
Views
2K
I Is there a list of root-power quantities? Or a rule of thumb?
Replies
14
Views
2K
I Drag equation - relative flow velocity
Replies
11
Views
3K
Estimating Pitch & Volume of Collision Sounds
Replies
14
Views
3K
I Question about Momentum vs. Kinetic Energy vs. Deforming In Collisions
Replies
2
Views
2K
Effects of velocity on weight (mass?)
Replies
3
Views
2K
Estimating sound pressure (in an MRI scanner)
Replies
11
Views
3K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top