Why doesent water fall down from a bucket while rotating it upside down?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the question of why water does not fall out of a bucket when it is rotated upside down. Participants explore the physics behind this phenomenon, including concepts of acceleration, centrifugal force, and inertia. Related questions about sound from explosions and the mechanics of aerial fireworks are also mentioned but not the primary focus.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants argue that if the bucket rotates slowly, water will fall out, indicating that the premise of the question may be flawed.
  • One participant suggests that if the bucket's acceleration is greater than gravity, the water will not escape, as the bucket forces the water to accelerate downward faster than gravity pulls it.
  • Another participant proposes a mathematical expression relating weight to mass and the difference between gravity and the bucket's acceleration.
  • Some participants explain that momentum and inertia keep the water inside the bucket once it reaches sufficient motion.
  • Others clarify that centripetal acceleration plays a role, stating that if the centripetal acceleration is less than gravity, the water will fall, but if it is greater, the water will remain in the bucket.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants present multiple competing views regarding the mechanics of water retention in a rotating bucket, with no consensus reached on the explanation. Some focus on the role of acceleration and inertia, while others emphasize centrifugal force.

Contextual Notes

The discussion involves assumptions about the speed of rotation and the definitions of forces involved, which may not be fully resolved. The relationship between centripetal and gravitational forces is a key point of contention.

chound
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Why doesn't water fall down from a bucket while rotating it upside down?
Also:
1)What causes sound when bombs explode? Is it the quick heating of air and compression something like sonic boom
2)How do the ariel fireworks go up and explode?
 
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chound said:
Why doesn't water fall down from a bucket while rotating it upside down?
Also:
1)What causes sound when bombs explode? Is it the quick heating of air and compression something like sonic boom
2)How do the ariel fireworks go up and explode?

don't want to deal with 1 and 2, but the answer to question 0 is that the premise of the question is wrong. water does fall from the bucket if the rotation is slow enough.

if the rotation is so fast that the bucket is accelerating downward faster than the acceleration of gravity, then the bucket is forcing the water to fall faster than gravity and since the sides and "bottom" of the bucket are pushing the water to accelerate faster than gravity is pulling (out of the open "top" of the bucket), the water does not escape the containment of the bucket.
 
rbj Can it be expressed mathematically as Weight = mass(gravity-acceleration of bucket),
since a >g it experiences negative weight?
 
I'll take #3. Commercial fireworks are launched by computer control (although some artists still sequence them manually) from a series of mortars. The launching charge determines how high they go, and an internal fuse that is lit during launch determines at what time they explode. Any secondary explosions are fuse-timed from the bursting charge. It's actually a very intricate system.
 
As for 1. this is an effect of centrifugal force - http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/corf.html#cent

In general - http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/circ.html

It is important to understand the difference between centrifugal and centripetal forces.

#2 - Sonic booms arise from the compression of air on the leading points of an aircraft which reaches, then slightly exceeds the speed of sound in the air.

This might help - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_boom


#3 - Aerial fireworks are launched from a mortar (usually steel metal tube). There is a launching charge, which propels the pyrotechnic charge into the air, and the burst charge inside the package.
http://people.howstuffworks.com/fireworks2.htm
 
Momentum (motion) applied to the bucket is imparted (delivered) to its contents, the water inside. Once the water is in motion it has a tendency to continue its motion at the same speed and direction (velocity), in a strait line. Once sufficient motion is reached this tendency (inertia) overcomes the pull of gravity and the water remains inside.
 
Another way of saying what rbj already explained: Since the bucket of water is being whirled in a circle, its acceleration is centripetal. At the apex of its motion that centripetal acceleration is downward. If the bucket is moving too slowly, the centripetal acceleration will be less than g and the water will begin to fall from the bucket; but if the speed is sufficient to make the centripetal acceleration greater than g, the water will be pressed into the bucket and will not spill.
 

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