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The Physics Teacher -- April 2006 -- Volume 44, Issue 4, pp. 240

Why Do We Feel Weightless in Free Fall?

Pirooz Mohazzabi

University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha, WI

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Using a very simple model, we explain why in free fall we do not feel our own weight or acceleration due to gravity, whereas in an accelerating vehicle not only do we feel our acceleration and the inflicting force, if they are high enough, they can be fatal.

© 2006 American Association of Physics Teachers

KEYWORDS and PACS

Keywords

physics education, teacher training, mechanics, acceleration, aircraft, space vehicles

PACS

History
Online Mar 2006

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN

0031-921X (print)  

Publisher

$abstract.society.value is a Member of CrossRef American Association of Physics Teachers

ARTICLE DATA

Digital Object Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1119/1.2186237

  1. J. W. Kittinger Jr., "The long, lonely leap," Nat. Geograph. 118, 854 (1960).
  2. J.W. Kittinger Jr., The Long, Lonely Leap (Dutton, New York, 1961).
  3. C. Ryan, The Pre-Astronauts, Manned Ballooning on the Threshold of Space (Naval Institute, Annapolis, 1995).
  4. P. Mohazzabi and J. H. Shea, "High-altitude free fall," Am. J. Phys. 64, 1242 (Oct. 1996AJPIAS000064000010001242000001). [ISI]
  5. U.S. Standard Atmosphere, 1962 (Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., December 1962).
  6. Altitude of a Space Shuttle, http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2000/AndresMok.shtml.
  7. International Space Station, http://www.boeing.com/history/boeing/spacestation.html.
  8. Station location, http://science.nasa.gov/temp/StationLoc.html.
  9. Reduced Gravity Program, http://zerog.jsc.nasa.gov/home.html.



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