Question 2

Mass is related to gravity right?
so would a apple orbit a human floating in space?
what if he was a light year far away from any planet, stars or anything would a apple orbit a guy floating in space?
if still no that under what conditions would a apple orbit a guy floating in space

Originally posted by Colossus-Big C
Mass is related to gravity right?
so would a apple orbit a human floating in space?
what if he was a light year far away from any planet, stars or anything would a apple orbit a guy floating in space?
if still no that under what conditions would a apple orbit a guy floating in space

If an apple and a person were transported into deep space, outside the gravitational effect of other bodies, the apple and person would move toward each other. If the apple had the right momentum, it could orbit the person.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
If an apple and a person were transported into deep space, outside the gravitational effect of other bodies, the apple and person would move toward each other. If the apple had the right momentum, it could orbit the person.

Originally posted by Mindship
Actually, they would orbit their mutual center of gravity. 😛

If they both had momentum. Would quantum moment equal momentum in the macroscopic?

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
Would quantum moment equal momentum in the macroscopic?

But why go into space at all?

http://access.aasd.k12.wi.us/wp/baslerdale/2010/02/03/peter-griffin-demonstrates-universal-gravitation/

Originally posted by Mindship
Didn't something like that happen billions of years ago, when all there was were vast clouds of hydrogen gas, and only after a lot of time and the right random quantum fluctuations, did all that gas eventually move and swirl and yada yada yada?

But why go into space at all?

http://access.aasd.k12.wi.us/wp/baslerdale/2010/02/03/peter-griffin-demonstrates-universal-gravitation/

I never watch that show. 😆

They wouldn´t orbit each other because the mass is too little. They would just hang there in space, well except for the human who would blow up due to excess internal pressure.

But how would they (or we) know if they were moving or not, seeing all refrence points in space are moving?

Originally posted by Bicnarok
They wouldn´t orbit each other because the mass is too little.

Sure they could. An apple at 1 meter away would orbit a typical person once per day if given the tiny push necessary to start it going.

doesn't something need a minimum mass before something can orbit it?

Originally posted by inimalist
doesn't something need a minimum mass before something can orbit it?

I know the less mass you have, the less gravity effects you. Once you get small enough, electromagnetism takes over. There would seem to be a point were these two forces switch over, but I do not know what that is.

ya, but I'm not talking quantum level stuff...

isn't it like the same principle where an object needs a certain mass before its gravity will shape it into a sphere?

Originally posted by inimalist
doesn't something need a minimum mass before something can orbit it?

I don't think so. No matter what your mass is you exert some gravity on the things around you. In practice the mass of things other than stars and planets are so low that everything else that happens overwhelms that gravity. But in the ideal case of have a person and a tiny mass in empty space, far away from anything else there's no reason I know of that the tiny thing wouldn't orbit the person (very very very slowly, mind you, 3.14 meters/day is just a few centimeters every hour).

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
I don't think so. No matter what your mass is you exert some gravity on the things around you. In practice the mass of things other than stars and planets are so low that everything else that happens overwhelms that gravity. But in the ideal case of have a person and a tiny mass in empty space, far away from anything else there's no reason I know of that the tiny thing wouldn't orbit the person (very very very slowly, mind you, 3.14 meters/day is just a few centimeters every hour).

OK, instead of a person and an apple, what would happen if two dust bunnies were in deep space? Would they orbit each other or be magnetically attracted to each other?

ARGHHHHHH... physics!

If the universe contained only two neutrons lightyears apart, given enough time, they would eventually fall into orbit around a mutual center of gravity (hypothetically assuming, of course, no other forces act upon them, ie, neutron magnetic charges or quantum fluctuations).

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
I don't think so. No matter what your mass is you exert some gravity on the things around you. In practice the mass of things other than stars and planets are so low that everything else that happens overwhelms that gravity. But in the ideal case of have a person and a tiny mass in empty space, far away from anything else there's no reason I know of that the tiny thing wouldn't orbit the person (very very very slowly, mind you, 3.14 meters/day is just a few centimeters every hour).

Originally posted by Colossus-Big C
so if there was a planet many times bigger than earth right above the earth would it pull all of us from the earth into it? (that is the earth is magically not being pulled into the planet itself)

I guess that would depend on the mass of the planet and how far away it is.

The Earth pulls us a 9.8m/s/s. We can put this pretend planet is place of the moon for reference and say it needs just barely enough force to pull us off.

((gravitational constant)(x kg))/(384,403,000^2m) = 10

x = 2.2e28kg

So the planet is more massive than Jupiter. If it were closer the mass could be considerably less. If it has to make people go flying off the surface the mass of would have to be considerably more.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
If it has to make people go flying off the surface the mass of would have to be considerably more.

Originally posted by Colossus-Big C
the size of the sun?

Earth goes splat.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
Earth goes splat.