Gravity - Do atoms orbit humans ?

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    Atoms Gravity Orbit
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Discussion Overview

The discussion explores whether atoms, such as air particles, orbit humans in a manner analogous to how the Earth orbits the Sun, focusing on gravitational interactions and the forces at play.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that if the Earth orbits the Sun due to mass and distance, then atoms might similarly orbit humans.
  • One participant proposes calculating the gravitational force between a human body and an atom to understand the corresponding orbital speed and its comparison to other forces acting on the atom.
  • Another participant questions how the gravitational force compares to the thermal speeds of atoms and other forces acting on them.
  • A participant argues that gravitational fields do not produce larger accelerations on lighter objects compared to electromagnetic forces, indicating a potential misconception in the original premise.
  • Some participants clarify that objects do not orbit larger masses solely due to mass difference, but rather because gravity is a weak force effective at larger distances where other forces are negligible.
  • It is noted that objects of equal mass can orbit each other, suggesting that mass difference alone does not determine orbital behavior.
  • A later reply asserts that while Earth and the Sun orbit their common center of mass, this does not imply that atoms orbit humans, stating that there is no orbit in this context.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on whether atoms orbit humans, with some supporting the idea and others rejecting it, leading to an unresolved discussion.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the complexity of gravitational interactions and the influence of other forces, such as electromagnetic forces and thermal motion, on the behavior of atoms.

DLeuPel
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If the Earth orbits the Sun due to the difference in their mass and their distance, then do atoms like air particles orbit humans due to the same reasons?
 
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What do you think and why?

A good starting point might be to calculate the gravitational force between a human body (maybe 100 kg) and an atom (google will find a reasonable value for the the mass of an atom) at a given distance. What orbital speed does that correspond to? How does it compare to the other forces acting on the atom?
 
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Nugatory said:
How does it compare to the other forces acting on the atom?
And how does it compare to the normal thermal range of speeds for the atom.
 
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A gravitational field does not produce a larger acceleration when acting on a very light object, unlike the electromagnetic force between objects of some given electric charge. I think this is the misconception in this case.
 
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DLeuPel said:
If the Earth orbits the Sun due to the difference in their mass and their distance, then do atoms like air particles orbit humans due to the same reasons?
Things don't orbit really large objects due to mass difference, they orbit them because gravity is a weak force that acts best at large distances where other forces don't interfere.

For example, you can get a spacecraft to orbit a mountain sized asteroid in space. But even ignoring Earth's gravity you couldn't get something to orbit a mountain on Earth because the orbit would be so slow that wind would disrupt it!

Note that objects of equal mass can orbit each other, so mass difference means nothing. For example, Jupiter's mass fraction of the sun is about the same as a golf ball vs you.
 
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DLeuPel said:
If the Earth orbits the Sun due to the difference in their mass and their distance,

They each orbit their common center of mass. Earth's orbit is indeed larger because of its smaller mass.

But that doesn't explain why there's an orbit to begin with.

then do atoms like air particles orbit humans due to the same reasons?

No, because there is no orbit to begin with.
 

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