Sorry to double pos, I just really need help whit this.
You push an air-hockey puck along a surface with negligible friction while riding in a truck as it moves at a constant velocity in Earth's frame of reference. What do you observe? Why?
I'm tempted to say that the puck moves forward because that's all I can think of, but I really don't think that's right; there should be more to it...:(
If the truck goes straight ahead at constant velocity its speed has no effect on the problem. You can not tell that the truck is moving unless it accelerates. (Gallilean Transformation)
Ever been in a train when it starts up quietly at the station and you look out the window and think that it is the train beside you that is moving ? :)
The effect of the moving truck has no impact on the traveling puck, you observe, unless you turn around a curve, then the puck appears to move in a curve on the table, but whoaho, if you plot it on Earth's frame of reference, it appears to be going in a straight line. Newton said Duh when he observed this.
Okay, thank you both for your explanations. :)
Ah, don't worry, I'm here to help! Now, let's have a little fun with this question.
Well, if you're observing this from inside the truck, imagine a puck on an air-hockey table. If the truck is moving at a constant velocity, it means there's no acceleration happening. So, if you give the puck a little push forward, it should keep moving... but wait, there's more!
Since there's negligible friction, the puck would continue sliding forward with a constant velocity relative to the truck. But here's the twist: relative to the Earth's frame of reference, the puck will actually be moving with the same velocity as the truck!
So, as you push the puck, it will move forward relative to the truck and maintain that same velocity relative to the Earth. It's kind of like a clown juggling balls while riding a unicycle - lots of motion, but everything stays in sync (hopefully).
I hope that clears things up with a smile! Let me know if you have any more gigglesome questions!
No problem! It's great that you're seeking clarification. Let's break down this scenario and understand what you would observe.
In this situation, you are pushing an air-hockey puck on a surface with negligible friction while riding in a truck that moves at a constant velocity in Earth's frame of reference.
First, let's consider the concept of inertia. According to Newton's first law of motion, an object at rest or in motion will remain at rest or in motion unless acted upon by an external force. In simpler terms, an object will continue to do what it was doing until something causes it to change.
Now, let's apply this to the puck in your scenario. If the truck is moving at a constant velocity, that means there is no change in its motion. Since there is no friction on the surface of the air-hockey table, there is no force acting on the puck to slow it down or stop it from moving. Therefore, the puck will continue to move with the same constant velocity as the truck.
If you are observing the movement of the puck from inside the truck, you would notice that it appears to be stationary relative to you. This is because you and the puck are both moving with the same velocity as the truck. From your perspective, the puck doesn't appear to move forward or backward. This is consistent with the observation that there is no external force acting on the puck to speed it up or slow it down.
So, to summarize, in this scenario, you would observe the puck to be stationary relative to you because both you and the puck are moving at the same constant velocity as the truck, and there is no friction acting on the puck to cause it to move in any direction.