Fall Duration Calculator: Objects of Different Mass from 10m to 2m

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The discussion revolves around calculating the fall duration of two objects with different masses in a gravitational context. The original poster used Excel to compute the time taken for various mass combinations to fall from 10 meters to 2 meters, yielding unexpected results in days rather than seconds. Clarifications revealed that the scenario involves two objects in free space, influenced by their mutual gravitational attraction, rather than free fall towards Earth. Participants highlighted the need for accurate calculations using concepts like reduced mass and escape velocity, emphasizing that the initial problem statement lacked clarity. The conversation underscores the importance of precise calculations in gravitational physics and the need for further exploration of the topic.
  • #61
Luc B said:
A correct analysis would be to start with the same experimental scenario, identify the laws used by each person, determine the prediction for each, and compare the predictions to the actual results of the experiment.

That's a very good idea. You would need to design your experiment carefully because the differences in the predictions can be very small. They would be too small to show up in the experiment you proposed in #1 and #8.

Both Newton's and Einstein's laws predict that the gravitational force of the sun will bend the light from a star passing near the sun on it's way to Earth. This would make stars appear to be in the wrong place as the sun passes in front of them. Einstein's General Relativity predicts the light will bend twice as much as Newton so you have a way to test who is correct.

The experiment to see which was correct was first done in 1919 by Eddington and showed Einstein was correct.

https://thethoughtstash.wordpress.com/2011/01/03/how-eddington-demonstrated-that-einstein-was-right/
 
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  • #62
The OP in no longer with us. Time to close the thread.
 
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