(TFT) Re: TFT Digest V4 #129

[Mark Tapley <mtapley@swri.edu>]

At 0:38 -0400 4/17/11, TFT Digest wrote:
> MA 200 ~ 120 mph b near the limits of air resistance at 1 atmosphere, see
> http://hypertextbook.com/facts/JianHuang.shtml for fuller treatment of that
> pickle.

Cool site, *but* don't confuse "terminal velocity" with the "limits 
of air resistance". Terminal velocity is just how fast gravity will 
push something against air drag (which does depend on the object, of 
course - parachutes have low terminal velocity, people without them 
have fatally high terminal velocities, bombs can go supersonic in the 
upper atmosphere).

But even at the surface, muscles can be stronger than gravity for 
some objects (else we could never lift things). So we could in theory 
throw things well above terminal velocity. At atlatl or similar might 
easily accomplish that. Energy storage devices like bows and arrows 
let us project things even faster.

--
						- Mark     210-379-4635
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