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Physics Question. Come all ye physics people

F

FFactory0x

Diamond Member
Situation: You have a pack of staples and place a piece of paper (smaller than or about same size as box) on top of the box then drop the box. Why is it that the piece of paper falls with the box almost like its attached to the box (stays on top of the box the whole way down)
 
Originally posted by: FFactory0x
Why is it that the piece of paper falls with the box almost like its attached to the box
Click to expand...

it does? 😕

edit: n/m it makes sense now with the edit
 
it does? id assume it wouldnt. why does it? id assume that the paper would trail off due to its inherit resistance to fall since it has such a large surface area causing it to have a high wind resistance... this is something new.

MIKE
 
strong nuclear force. the paper and staples are inherently attracted to each other because they both know they are office products. if you put say, a tomato, on a box of staples they would repel each other.
 
I haven't took AP physics yet (or any physics class) but I'll bet since the paper is touching the box, air resistance is destroyed and fallgesetz comes into play.
 
If it's flat against the box, then air won't get under and lift it, and it will fall at the same speed as any other object.
 
Originally posted by: Yossarian
strong nuclear force. the paper and staples are inherently attracted to each other because they both know they are office products. if you put say, a tomato, on a box of staples they would repel each other.
Click to expand...

Thats funny sh!t man!
 
yea. Its a simple question. I understand because there is no air resistance and all objects fall at the same rate of speed 10 m/s
Any other reasons
 
I think the box of staples creates a vacuum of sorts directly behind it, the paper gets pulled into this (the paper has higher air pressure on the side facing away from the falling box, lower air pressure on the side facing the box) and so follows the box on the way down.
 
It's due to air pressure. Doesn't have much to do with gravity because I've taken things and turned them upside down, and they still don't fall off. If the air can't get between them, the air pressure will keep them together. Also, a small object travelling closely behind a large object will tend to get sucked into the large object, since the lower pressure behind the large object causes the air to curl around the back to fill in the void.
 
I think it's the force of eddies created when a boxy shaped object travels through air. The eddies curl around the far side of the box and force the piece of paper to "stick" to the box of matches. Would this experiment need the paper to be almost the same size as the matchbox?
 
Originally posted by: FFactory0x
yea. Its a simple question. I understand because there is no air resistance and all objects fall at the same rate of speed 10 m/s
Any other reasons
Click to expand...

9.8m/s :|!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

😉
 
Originally posted by: bootymac
Originally posted by: FFactory0x
yea. Its a simple question. I understand because there is no air resistance and all objects fall at the same rate of speed 10 m/s
Any other reasons
Click to expand...

9.8m/s :|!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

😉
Click to expand...

actually its 9.8m/s/s or 9.8 m/s^2
 
Ask Bernoulli.
You can also try a similar concept by placing a piece of paper to your mouth level and blowing the surface of it.
 
Actually I believe the paper would have to be slightly smaller than the box.

If equally sized, the "streamlines" of airflow around the box would probably destabilize the paper sitting on top of it.

But anyway the general idea is that all objects accelerate at the same rate (~9.8m/s^2), regardless of mass. So there is no reason for the paper & the box to separate if the paper does not experience any extra air resistance.

Moreover, note that the box isn't actually falling at 9.8 b/c it will experience some air resistance...though the paper "wants" to fall at 9.8.
 
Originally posted by: Yossarian
strong nuclear force. the paper and staples are inherently attracted to each other because they both know they are office products. if you put say, a tomato, on a box of staples they would repel each other.
Click to expand...

As a physics major, that seriously had me laughing my ass off.
 
Says the AP Physics student who got 5s on both parts of Physics C and a 4 on Physics B and is currently taking Physics 7B in college:

The box blocks air so the paper hits no air resistance. Thus the paper's max accel = 9.8 m/s^2, and will be accelerating around there. The box is slightly slower than 9.8 m/s^2 because it hits air. The box is the limiting factor, so the paper rests on the box all the way. Kthx.
 
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