- #1
Warp
- 128
- 13
For some reason this is something I have really hard time wrapping my head around.
Suppose you are sitting on a chair inside a completely closed elevator. The elevator might be moving vertically at a completely constant speed, or it might be completely stationary.
It is my understanding that regardless of which is the case, you'll feel pretty much the same. If you are completely still, it will be impossible to tell if the elevator is stationary or moving at a constant speed. If you drop a ball, it will accelerate towards the floor exactly the same regardless. It's impossible to tell by measuring the movement of the ball if the elevator is moving or not.
All that feels logical. However, then, you stand up and... you'll feel the difference while doing that movement. If the elevator was stationary, it will feel like always. If the elevator is moving downwards at a great speed, you'll find that standing up is extremely easy, almost like you were a lot lighter (almost weightless, if the elevator is moving at a great speed). Conversely, if the elevator is moving upwards at a great speed, you'll feel like you weigh a ton, and it will be harder for you to stand up. Climbing a ladder inside the elevator will be much easier or much harder depending on which vertical direction the elevator is moving.
That kind of makes sense... and kind of doesn't make sense. If you are completely still, you can't tell if the elevator is moving or not, but if you stand up (or sit back down), you'll be able to. It's hard to understand the mechanics behind this.
I'm also assuming that with the dropping the ball experiment, how much the ball will bounce will also depend on the speed of the elevator, for a similar reason (assuming the ball has some elasticity to it).
Could someone explain the mechanics behind this?
Suppose you are sitting on a chair inside a completely closed elevator. The elevator might be moving vertically at a completely constant speed, or it might be completely stationary.
It is my understanding that regardless of which is the case, you'll feel pretty much the same. If you are completely still, it will be impossible to tell if the elevator is stationary or moving at a constant speed. If you drop a ball, it will accelerate towards the floor exactly the same regardless. It's impossible to tell by measuring the movement of the ball if the elevator is moving or not.
All that feels logical. However, then, you stand up and... you'll feel the difference while doing that movement. If the elevator was stationary, it will feel like always. If the elevator is moving downwards at a great speed, you'll find that standing up is extremely easy, almost like you were a lot lighter (almost weightless, if the elevator is moving at a great speed). Conversely, if the elevator is moving upwards at a great speed, you'll feel like you weigh a ton, and it will be harder for you to stand up. Climbing a ladder inside the elevator will be much easier or much harder depending on which vertical direction the elevator is moving.
That kind of makes sense... and kind of doesn't make sense. If you are completely still, you can't tell if the elevator is moving or not, but if you stand up (or sit back down), you'll be able to. It's hard to understand the mechanics behind this.
I'm also assuming that with the dropping the ball experiment, how much the ball will bounce will also depend on the speed of the elevator, for a similar reason (assuming the ball has some elasticity to it).
Could someone explain the mechanics behind this?