My buddy and I were in the car on our way to Best Buy when he had an interesting question. When you throw something up in the air in a moving object (in this case, a conversion van) it goes up into the air and lands relatively close to where you threw it up into the air. Why is this? Shouldn't the motion from the car moving force the ball backwards?

 

Please explain as best you can. Thank you.

Explains it all....

 

http://www.pa.msu.edu/sci_theatre/ask_st/122194.html

 

Bettina

You must have picked a funny speed to try it.

 

The ball wants to keep going at the same speed as the car...so say...50 mph forward.

 

But the particles of air slow the ball down..... as the ball will try to push them out of the way to get through, they will not want to move aside.

 

So if you were going at the right speed and the ball was a particular size...yes ..it could have almost no movement in the direction of the car.

 

Well that’s how I figure it anway.

Assuming no wind, the ball doesn't "know" it's moving, and there are no horizontal forces on it. It's stationary relative to the van, so you can analyze all of its motion in that frame.

the only way the ball should move horizontally is if the car accelerates while its in the air. slowing down, speeding up, or turning.

Why do u think people dont get splatted against the serving trolley on airplanes when they get out of their seat? Its just that inside the plane eveything is moving at the same rate so if u were to jump then u are still moving at the same rate as the plane and so will land in the same spot. the only time this does not happen is when there is an acceleration or retardation. I think newtons 1st law describes this kind of motion, an object will carry on its fixed path unless influenced by any outside force. Correct me if i am wrong.

Here: http://www.scienceforums.net/forums/showthread.php?t=7169 this may help answer not only your question but other permutations along the same theme

inertia Newtons first law of motion

Newton's First Law: Objects in motion stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force.

 

Thus, as stated, Inertia