OT: Physics question

Post by **Nanohedron** » Fri Jun 20, 2003 12:06 pm

Jerry, an empirically noted wintertime phenomenon: I'm in the car, dashboard vents blowing heated air. Executing a close right turn (Japanese, Brits, etc. please note that my U.S. driver position is at the usual left), I consistently feel a mass of warmth collide into me (although it may be more accurate to say that I collide with it), and then everything goes back to normal (as far as can be said in my case

). I presume that the opposite happens on left turns...

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Fri Jun 20, 2003 12:34 pm

Yes, but what would a helium balloon do?

Post by **Nanohedron** » Fri Jun 20, 2003 1:18 pm

Busted.

momerath · Post by **momerath** » Fri Jun 20, 2003 1:29 pm

The helium balloon moves to the right, as the air in the car moves to the left toward the outside of the turn. Same thing if you come to a sudden stop--the balloon would move to the rear of the car as the air mass "bunches up" momentarily in the front.

Jerry Freeman · Post by **Jerry Freeman** » Fri Jun 20, 2003 1:33 pm

Ladies and gentlemen,

We have a winner.

Aodhan · Post by **Aodhan** » Fri Jun 20, 2003 1:39 pm

momerath wrote:The helium balloon moves to the right, as the air in the car moves to the left toward the outside of the turn. Same thing if you come to a sudden stop--the balloon would move to the rear of the car as the air mass "bunches up" momentarily in the front.

Nicely done.

One question...did you derive your name from a portion of the "Jabberwock"?

"Twas brillig and the slithy toves, did gyre and gimbal in the wabe"
"All mimsy were the borogroves, and the momes rath outgrabe"

Aodhan

momerath · Post by **momerath** » Fri Jun 20, 2003 2:39 pm

'Tis sad, but true. Jabberwocky was the first poem I ever memorized, and it's colored my life ever since.

Lorenzo · Post by **Lorenzo** » Fri Jun 20, 2003 2:56 pm

OK, how about this one.

You're driving in your car with the windows closed. There's a helium balloon in the back of the car, floating freely. You make a right turn. What does the balloon do? Relative to the interior of the car, does it stay where it is? Does it move to the left, or does it move to the right?

Give me something hard...

whamlyn · Post by **whamlyn** » Fri Jun 20, 2003 3:48 pm

OK guys, time to let this one die...

Ridseard · Post by **Ridseard** » Fri Jun 20, 2003 7:47 pm

whamlyn wrote:OK guys, time to let this one die...

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Fri Jun 20, 2003 9:27 pm

momerath wrote:'Tis sad, but true.

"Madam, I swear I use no art at all.
That he is mad, 'tis true: 'tis true 'tis pity;
And pity 'tis 'tis true. A foolish figure!
But farewell it, for I will use no art.
Mad let us grant him then. And now remains
That we find out the cause of this effect-
Or rather say, the cause of this defect,
For this effect defective comes by cause.
Thus it remains, and the remainder thus."

--from Hamlet, by Willaim Shakespeare.

Zubivka · Post by **Zubivka** » Sat Jun 21, 2003 1:43 am

Walden wrote:--from Hamlet, by Willaim Shakespeare.

Just why did I always think this W. stood for Wilbur?

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Sat Jun 21, 2003 2:27 am

Zubivka wrote:
Walden wrote:--from Hamlet, by Willaim Shakespeare.
Just why did I always think this W. stood for Wilbur?

I should type more carefully. I first wrote, "Wm. Shakespeare," but I decided that abbreviation might be antiquated, and I might be thought to have just cut and pasted, so I went back, and typed in WIllaim, and I saw the capitalised I, and went back and corrected it, and missed the inverted a and i.