Newton's Cannon on a Mountain |
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The cannon is atop an imaginary mountain far above the atmosphere. For low speeds, the cannonball doesn't get far relative to the Earth's size, and the downward gravity gives a parabolic path. At higher speeds, the cannonball goes far enough that the direction of gravity--always toward the center of the Earth--changes, and so does the shape of the path! ........Flashlets Home Page......Link to lecture (Galileo and Einstein) ......Link to lecture (Physics 152) |