Feather and Cannonball Race in Various Gasses
Most recent answer: 09/25/2015
Q:
What happens if we release a feather and a cannonball in a chamber containing a gas lighter than the regular air ?
- MAG (age 17)
Africa
- MAG (age 17)
Africa
A:
Hi MAG
The air resistance of an object moving through a gas is proportional to the viscosity of the gas. The viscosity of air is about 0 .00018 Poise. It's about the same for Helium but only half as much for Hydrogen. So if you performed the experiment in a hydrogen atmospere the feather would fall a bit faster but the cannonball would still win the race to the ground.
LeeH
(published on 09/25/2015)