acceleration put into perspective

acceleration put into perspective

This made me laff on 2 counts.

First, your not the only one thinking this. While I'm not a great math wiz or a "Geek", I love the fact of checking facts and modifing them a little bit to wonder a what if. At this speed, or that speed etc.....

2nd, I once gave a similar question to the crew at work. The answer is actualy impossible to answer because of to many unknown variables to the question, but it was great watching about 25 guys argue.

It went something like above, just slower.

What if you gave the other car a 100 mph start at the line, just like above. Could you catch him at the other end if your car is a solid 10 sec. flat car and by how much is the margin of victory and by whom? How fast do you need to go to win?

It was a total argument going on with others really starting to get into it claiming there right, your wrong all the while I sit back jaw dropped at the site of those honestly beileveing there right. (Yea, it was great)

flyfish said
I've always liked this one...but being the science geek that I am, I have to say that original author didnt check his math. The Corvette was not passed after 3 seconds. If you assume a typical great pass by a fuel car of 4.50 second (~0.08 seconds slower that Schumachers record) it would be a tie at the stripe (Looking at 4 decimal places and assuming the Corvette held 200 mph with no further acceleration); however, this is probably not the case. I predict that the Corvette would win, due in part to it accelerating some over the course of 4.5 seconds (albeit not much).AND that the reaction time of a excellent driver is in the 0.058 range for a fuel car (which is not captured in the ET)now you have the dragster loosing by a car length.ish

If you wanted to assume that the fuel car was on a record pass that would tie Schumachers record, and that the fuel car started at the exact time as the Corvette (excluding the reaction time).then the fuel car would pass the Corvette ~21 feet before the finish line. This would give the fuel car an ET of 4.428 seconds and the Corvette an ET of 4.500 seconds.

Yup, you can say itIm a dork and I think too much :-D