The jumping Chinese physics question
Weird sculpture my sister and I saw on the castle grounds in Prague.
In a Straight Dope classic from 1984 someone asks: If everyone in China jumped off chairs at once, would the earth be thrown out of its orbit?
A variation on this question was posed in our high school physics class. We were studying momentum at the time. It went like this: The Chinese hatch a plan to dislodge Americans from the face of the earth. The antipode (the exact opposite on the globe) of China is the United States. At a given signal, everyone in China will jump a foot into the air. Will the impact upon their landing be sufficient to propel every American into space?
According to our teacher the answer is: No, the earth is too massive.
August 8th, 2009 at 02:03
Sana marami at moderno ang mga orthopaedic hospitals nila doon. Melamine does not prevent osteoporosis.
August 8th, 2009 at 02:39
i love it! :D
August 8th, 2009 at 06:40
chinese are so clever, whatever they do will have an impact on us…
August 8th, 2009 at 09:57
Am not too worried about Chinese jumping. Am worried about China unloading their massive dollar reserves after theyre comfortable with the gold reserves theyve been building up in recent years. *That* would propel the Americans into space.
August 8th, 2009 at 11:32
The teacher’s question was wrong to begin with because China is not the antipode of the USA.
August 8th, 2009 at 12:57
physics teacher = ms. basas? may geopolitics pang involved sa mga exam.