Skip to main content

Everybody Jump

What if everyone in the world gathered at TF. Green Airport and jumped at the same time? First off, this wouldn't be possible as a crowd this size would take up the entire state of Rhode Island. Second off, TF Green would have to function at 500% capacity for years in order to transport everyone to Rhode Island.
However, if everyone managed to get to Rhode Island the force of the jump wouldn't affect the earth at all. This is because the Earth outweighs all the world's humans by a factor of over ten trillion. Even with the average human vertical of half a meter, the Earth would only move by less than an atom's width if it were completely rigid and the collision was perfectly elastic. When people's feet hit the ground it delivers a lot of energy into the Earth but then it is spread out over a large area so there is no serious change. However, the sound of feet hitting the Earth would create a deafening roar that would last a few seconds.  This sound could shatter eardrums and perhaps an earthquake could be formed that fell in the 4-8 magnitude range. Nevertheless, the effect of the jump would not change the Earth's orbit at all. Unfortunately, we are not that significant. However, we might collapse some electrical lines. Jun 27, 2016 16:44

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Physics of Spiderman

Over this past weekend after I finished working on my homework, I decided to relax and watch a few movies before going asleep. Among the movies I watched was Spider-Man 3 from 2007 and despite the movie flaws I was interested by the scenes that showed Spider Man shooting through the sky with the use of his webs that come out of his wrists. Due to this, I decided to make my blog post about the physics of Spider-Man's slingshot. After doing some research, I discovered just how much information there is on the physics of Spider-Man and how elements of Spider-Man can be used as examples for most topics learned in mechanics. For this investigation, I will not be using the horrible cliche and terrible CGI infested mess that Spider-Man 3 is but instead the all around superior Spider-Man movie of Spider-Man 2 to investigate the physics of Spider-Man's web propelled slingshot.  I want to talk about what happens in terms of physics when Spider-Man launches himself across a dista...

Physics of Sound Dampeners and Active Noise Cancellation

Physics of Sound Dampeners and Active Noise Cancellation Sound dampening foam panels in a recording studio. ANC headphones worn by pilots and/or passengers in consumer aviation aircraft.  Acoustic treatment of soundscapes has grown alongside the sound production industry. Whether through absorption panels, diffusors and cloud panels to treat a space or headphones placed directly over the ears of listeners, acoustic treatment comes in many forms. Environments are treated acoustically to absorb excess sound to prevent sound levels from crossing a threshold above which the desired goal cannot be had. Before getting into sound dampening, we must discuss sound. Sound is produced when an object vibrates (a form of oscillation) and temporarily displaces nearby air molecules causing a wave effect as the displaced molecules collide with their neighboring molecules. Sound waves are fluctuations in pressure as the initial displacement of molecules experiences collisions that in ...

The Physics Behind the Rail Gun

Magnets and Magnetic Fields: Magnets are well known for their ability to repel and attract other magnets and various pieces of metal, but what people seldom understand are the physics at work that cause such occurrences. Magnets are everywhere, from within TV's and cellphones, to the Earth itself, and they are all producing magnetic fields. For a particle, a magnetic field can be defined to be "a vector quantity that is directed along the zero- force axis" with a magnitude equal to the dividend of the magnetic force and the product of the particle's charge and speed, and for a bar magnet, the field is best demonstrated as arcs going from one pole to the other. With that said, magnetic fields can also be created; the basic principle of electromagnetism is that the movement of electrons through a conductor produces a magnetic field in the region around the conductor. This is the fundamental principle behind the workings of the rail gun. Unlike a bar magnet, a ...