Anyone good with math/physics... | Page 2 | FerrariChat
Buy

Anyone good with math/physics...

Discussion in 'Other Off Topic Forum' started by darkalley, Mar 5, 2007.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Page 2 of 2
  1. LetsJet

    LetsJet F1 Veteran
    Owner

    May 24, 2004
    9,334
    DC/LA/Paris/Haleiwa
    Full Name:
    Mr.
    #26 LetsJet, Mar 6, 2007
    Then you are asking the wrong question.

    You need to worry about pieces much smaller than a 2'x3' block.
     
  2. PhilNotHill

    PhilNotHill Two Time F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Jul 3, 2006
    27,855
    Aspen CO 81611
    Full Name:
    FelipeNotMassa
    #27 PhilNotHill, Mar 6, 2007
    Next time you get a 50 mph wind, go on top of a 120 foot building and throw your ice off. then measure how far it went. :)
     
  3. djui5

    djui5 F1 Veteran

    Aug 9, 2006
    5,418
    Phoenix, Arizona
    #28 djui5, Mar 7, 2007
    I wish you would have said that in the first place, I would have never replied. It's been fun anyway though :)
     
  4. Mark_M5

    Mark_M5 Karting

    Nov 14, 2006
    115
    Ventura County, CA
    Full Name:
    Mark
    #29 Mark_M5, Mar 7, 2007
    The problem is, you have too many variables:

    1. your starting orientation to the wind is unknown, therefore your drag coefficient is unknown
    2. variations in wind can change the orientation of the ice mid-fall, changing the drag coefficient to either slow descent or increase horizontal movement
    3. mid flight forces acting against the inertia of the ice could shatter the slab and multiply your variables by the number of pieces.

    I think that if you assume a fictional 45-degree flight path, which is probably impossible given that you start with a downward vertical acceleration of 30 ft/sec/sec and a horizontal acceleration in relation to the force of the wind times your drag coefficient (which will end up being a lot less than gravity), then you end up with a "cone of death" that's a right triangle, making the maximum radius = the height of the tower.

    ...but I don't really know.
     
  5. 1_can_dream

    1_can_dream F1 Veteran

    Jan 7, 2006
    8,051
    Colorado
    Full Name:
    Kyle
    #30 1_can_dream, Mar 8, 2007
    So you're worried if it would be possible for it to hit your house?
     
  6. Remy Zero

    Remy Zero Two Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 26, 2005
    23,478
    KL, Malaysia
    Full Name:
    MC Cool Breeze
    #31 Remy Zero, Mar 8, 2007
    gosh...i used to hate physics, chemistry and additional mathematics during schooling days..
     
  7. darkalley

    darkalley Formula Junior

    Aug 17, 2004
    826
    Full Name:
    Jim
    #32 darkalley, Mar 8, 2007
    Nah, I don't want the tower to go up since it will be viewable from my front yard-worried about property values, health, etc. The tower is covering an area where the cell companies drop less than 1.5% of their calls... if i can prove ice falling from the tower can hit the road I can make an argument that the pole is unsafe....
     
  8. Miltonian

    Miltonian F1 Veteran

    Dec 11, 2002
    5,966
    Milton, Wash.
    Full Name:
    Jeff B.
    #33 Miltonian, Mar 8, 2007
    Where did you get your figures for a slab of ice 2 feet x 3 feet x 3 inches? Is there a possibility of such a slab being naturally produced on a cell tower at a height of 120 feet from the ground? I can't picture it, but I'm not an expert on cell towers.
     
  9. cntchds

    cntchds Formula 3

    Oct 22, 2005
    1,018
    San Jose, California
    Full Name:
    Peter Hatch
    #34 cntchds, Mar 8, 2007
    Well, for the dumbest of the dumbest of the dumb. An object falls basically at 9.8 meters (32.15 feet) per second squared.

    So if you start at a height of 120 feet, you find how long it would take if dropped in a perfect world where drag has nothing to do with anything, to reach the ground. Which would be... give or take, just under two seconds. Then it magically gets up to speed of 50 mph. Then the furthest it could possibly go under perfect conditions, when it somehow gets up to speed instantly is only (264 000 / 3 600) 73 1/3 feet per second.

    Just noticed you didn't care about it hitting your house. You'll be fine. haha

    Peter Hatch
     
Page 2 of 2

Share This Page