Physics: Why Water in Car Acceleration is Perpendicular

  • Thread starter Thread starter drabdallh
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Phyiscs
AI Thread Summary
When a car accelerates, the surface of the water in a container aligns perpendicular to the net force, which includes both gravity and the fictitious force due to acceleration. This occurs because the water experiences different forces depending on the frame of reference; inside the car, the fictitious force is perceived, while outside, the normal force and gravitational force are relevant. The net force acting on the water remains constant, but the perception of forces changes based on the observer's position. The water's surface reflects the balance of these forces, illustrating the effects of acceleration in a non-inertial frame. Understanding this concept clarifies why the water's surface behaves as it does during acceleration.
drabdallh
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
if water in a container in a car and the car accelerates why the surface of the water is perpendicular to the net force of gravity and fictitious force not to the net of normal and gravitational force?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
It's the same net force on the water, the only difference is the frame of reference, such as inside the car (fictitious force, no apparent normal acceleration), versus the ground outside the car (force related to normal acceleration of water).
 
you don't get what i mean
imagine the surface of the water
it will be perpendicular to net force of gravity and fictitious force
while the normal force is the actual acting force
 
Consider an extremely long and perfectly calibrated scale. A car with a mass of 1000 kg is placed on it, and the scale registers this weight accurately. Now, suppose the car begins to move, reaching very high speeds. Neglecting air resistance and rolling friction, if the car attains, for example, a velocity of 500 km/h, will the scale still indicate a weight corresponding to 1000 kg, or will the measured value decrease as a result of the motion? In a second scenario, imagine a person with a...
Dear all, in an encounter of an infamous claim by Gerlich and Tscheuschner that the Greenhouse effect is inconsistent with the 2nd law of thermodynamics I came to a simple thought experiment which I wanted to share with you to check my understanding and brush up my knowledge. The thought experiment I tried to calculate through is as follows. I have a sphere (1) with radius ##r##, acting like a black body at a temperature of exactly ##T_1 = 500 K##. With Stefan-Boltzmann you can calculate...
Thread 'Griffith, Electrodynamics, 4th Edition, Example 4.8. (First part)'
I am reading the Griffith, Electrodynamics book, 4th edition, Example 4.8 and stuck at some statements. It's little bit confused. > Example 4.8. Suppose the entire region below the plane ##z=0## in Fig. 4.28 is filled with uniform linear dielectric material of susceptibility ##\chi_e##. Calculate the force on a point charge ##q## situated a distance ##d## above the origin. Solution : The surface bound charge on the ##xy## plane is of opposite sign to ##q##, so the force will be...

Similar threads

Back
Top