- #1
Gughanath
- 118
- 0
When a stone is thrown over a clift, there is vertically acceleration, I don't understand why there is no horizintal acceleration? 
Why there is no horizintal acceleration?
- Thread starter Gughanath
- Start date
-
- Tags
- Acceleration
In summary, when a stone is thrown over a cliff, it will experience vertical acceleration due to the force of gravity. However, if the stone is simply dropped, there will be no horizontal acceleration. This is because of Newton's 2nd law of motion, which states that an object will only accelerate if there is a force acting on it. In real life, there may be some horizontal acceleration due to air resistance, but it is usually very small compared to the vertical acceleration.
- #2
Clausius2
Science Advisor
Gold Member
- 1,440
- 7
Hi London! How about my friend the BigBen?
Well, that depends on HOW do you throw the stone.If you merely leave it falling free it won't have any horizontal acceleration. But if you push it horizontally probably it will have horizontal acceleration.
Well, that depends on HOW do you throw the stone.If you merely leave it falling free it won't have any horizontal acceleration. But if you push it horizontally probably it will have horizontal acceleration.
- #3
alpha_wolf
- 163
- 0
As soon as you let go of the stone, it will no longer have horizontal acceleration. This is due to Newton's 2nd law of motion, most videly known as F=ma. If there are no forces acting on the object, it will not accelerate. It's called inertia, and works independantly for each axis of any coordinate system.Clausius2 said:
EDIT: actually, inertia is Newton's first law, and the 2nd law (F=ma) is a generalization of the first.
Note however, that the above is an approximation: in real life, you usually have air, which causes a drag force propotional to the object's velocity. So in that case there is a horizontal acceleration (deceleration), but it is usually very small (because the horizontal velocity is usually small). You also have drag in the vertical direction, which is why you get a terminal velocity (= a velocity where the vertical drag balances out the object's weigth, so the object can't accelerate any further in the vertical direction).
Last edited:
- #4
Clausius2
Science Advisor
Gold Member
- 1,440
- 7
alpha_wolf said:
Oops. Thanks alpha. Well, eeemmmmm... I meant the deceleration due to air drag effects
:tongue2:1. Why is there no horizontal acceleration in a level surface?
There is no horizontal acceleration in a level surface because the net force acting on an object is zero. This is because the surface is flat and does not have any incline or decline, which would result in a change in velocity and therefore acceleration.
2. How does Newton's First Law explain the absence of horizontal acceleration?
Newton's First Law, also known as the Law of Inertia, states that an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will continue in motion with a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force. In the case of a level surface, there is no external force acting on the object in the horizontal direction, therefore there is no change in velocity and no acceleration.
3. Is there ever a situation where there can be horizontal acceleration on a level surface?
Yes, there can be horizontal acceleration on a level surface if an external force is applied in the horizontal direction. For example, if a person pushes a box on a flat surface, the box will experience a horizontal acceleration due to the force exerted by the person.
4. Why is horizontal acceleration only considered when there is a change in direction?
Horizontal acceleration is only considered when there is a change in direction because it refers to a change in the velocity of an object in the horizontal direction. If an object is moving at a constant velocity in a straight line, there is no change in direction and therefore no horizontal acceleration.
5. How is horizontal acceleration different from vertical acceleration?
Horizontal acceleration refers to a change in the velocity of an object in the horizontal direction, while vertical acceleration refers to a change in the velocity of an object in the vertical direction. Horizontal acceleration is affected by external forces acting in the horizontal direction, while vertical acceleration is affected by gravity. Additionally, horizontal acceleration can result in a change in the object's horizontal position, while vertical acceleration can result in a change in the object's height.
Similar threads
-
Mechanics
-
Mechanics
-
Mechanics