Space arms

[erxhi]

Why does the space arm have to be strong even though it operates in microgravity conditions?

 

[MeteorWayne]

Because it is moving the same amount of mass, so it requires the same force to move things.

 

[erxhi]

i don't understand it yet could you be more clear?

 

[Mee_n_Mac]

i don't understand it yet could you be more clear?

Even though the "stuff" the arm has move is in a low gravity environment, that "stuff" still has the same mass and therefore the same inertia as it does on the Earth's surface. It's still hard to push around, it takes the same amount of force. A good example (in a 2D sense) of this is a big heavy block of iron sitting on a very slippery surface ... like wet ice. Once it gets going it'll slide nearly forever with losing speed. It's like there's no gravity to cause friction. But it takes a lot of force, a lot of hard pushing, to get it moving ... and to stop it. That's because the block has a lot of mass and therefore inertia.

 

[erxhi]

thanks

 

[erxhi]

i don't understand it yet could you be more clear?

Even though the "stuff" the arm has move is in a low gravity environment, that "stuff" still has the same mass and therefore the same inertia as it does on the Earth's surface. It's still hard to push around, it takes the same amount of force. A good example (in a 2D sense) of this is a big heavy block of iron sitting on a very slippery surface ... like wet ice. Once it gets going it'll slide nearly forever with losing speed. It's like there's no gravity to cause friction. But it takes a lot of force, a lot of hard pushing, to get it moving ... and to stop it. That's because the block has a lot of mass and therefore inertia.

would it be the same for a floating object too?like things usually do in space?

 

[MeteorWayne]

Yes. An objects mass is not effected by whether it is floating or not. It still takes the same amount of force to move it.

 

[ZenGalacticore]

Yes. An objects mass is not effected by whether it is floating or not. It still takes the same amount of force to move it.

So does it take the same amount of force for me to jump two or three feet off the surface of the Earth as it does for me to jump two or three feet off the surface of the Moon?

Don't get all hoity-toity with me Wayne. I'm just asking.

 

[MeteorWayne]

No it wouldn't But it would take the same amount of force to move your body from one place in space to another in space as it would sideways on the surface of the earth or the moon.

 

[Mee_n_Mac]

Yes. An objects mass is not effected by whether it is floating or not. It still takes the same amount of force to move it.

So does it take the same amount of force for me to jump two or three feet off the surface of the Earth as it does for me to jump two or three feet off the surface of the Moon?

Don't get all hoity-toity with me Wayne. I'm just asking.

No because in jumping you're fighting not just inertia but the local gravity feild.