accelleration going uphill at a steady speed (gravity)?

[DavidC]

Hi.

If you're driving up a slope (30 degrees) at a static speed (50 km/h), are you considered to be accelerating, due to fighting gravity?

Just curious.

[godBoy]

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If you're driving up a slope (30 degrees) at a static speed (50 km/h), are you considered to be accelerating, due to fighting gravity?

[/ QUOTE ]
I wouldn't think so - acceleration is an increase in velocity.

[AdamL]

Just face it, it doesn't accelerate. Ever. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Silent A]

You're using the horsepower of your car to fight gravity.

power (watts) = force (N) * speed (m/s) [in the direction of the force you're applying]

Where, the force you must apply to go up hill = car_weight * sin(angle) [ignoring road friction and air resistence]

[DavidC]

[ QUOTE ]
You're using the horsepower of your car to fight gravity.

power (watts) = force (N) * speed (m/s) [in the direction of the force you're applying]

Where, the force you must apply to go up hill = car_weight * sin(angle) [ignoring road friction and air resistence]

[/ QUOTE ]

The thing that's confusing me is if you drop a rock off a building it'll accellerate til it hits the ground (not just drop at a steady speed), unless it somehow reaches terminal velocity... not sure how high you have to be to hit that speed, but lol, I guess it depends on your initial altitude due to air pressure being higher the lower you get.

Anyways, the point is that I view gravity (no education in this) as an "acceleratory force" (lol), so that's where I'm coming from when I ask this.

Another way of looking at it is, would you appear to accelerate if you were being observed from a stationary point in space?

[gull]

Net acceleration equals zero if velocity is constant, according to newtonian mechanics.

[ QUOTE ]
Another way of looking at it is, would you appear to accelerate if you were being observed from a stationary point in space?


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Stationary relative to what?

[DavidC]

[ QUOTE ]
Net acceleration equals zero if velocity is constant, according to newtonian mechanics.

[ QUOTE ]
Another way of looking at it is, would you appear to accelerate if you were being observed from a stationary point in space?


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Stationary relative to what?

[/ QUOTE ]

The Sun.

edit to say that the relative to what was a good question. But I guess the Sun is my answer there.

[MidGe]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Net acceleration equals zero if velocity is constant, according to newtonian mechanics.

[ QUOTE ]
Another way of looking at it is, would you appear to accelerate if you were being observed from a stationary point in space?


[/ QUOTE ]

Stationary relative to what?

[/ QUOTE ]

The Sun.

edit to say that the relative to what was a good question. But I guess the Sun is my answer there.

[/ QUOTE ]

ORLY

[DavidC]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Net acceleration equals zero if velocity is constant, according to newtonian mechanics.

[ QUOTE ]
Another way of looking at it is, would you appear to accelerate if you were being observed from a stationary point in space?


[/ QUOTE ]

Stationary relative to what?

[/ QUOTE ]

The Sun.

edit to say that the relative to what was a good question. But I guess the Sun is my answer there.

[/ QUOTE ]

ORLY

[/ QUOTE ]

lol piss off

[Matt R.]

[ QUOTE ]
at a static speed

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are you considered to be accelerating

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Nope, by definition you aren't accelerating. Your car engine may be supplying a force to "fight gravity", as you put it, but since speed is static the net force must be zero.