- Newton’s Three Laws and me
- Our “Energy Efficient” Culture
- Descartes has a lot to answer for!
1) Newton's 3 laws are as follows:
- Every object in a state of uniform motion will remain in that state of motion unless an external force acts on it
- Force equals mass times acceleration
- For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction
In terms of the first law, I figure this includes the force of the molecules making up the atmosphere around an object, and wonder if that means that an object accelerating within a vacuum is the only type of object that would not eventually stop or slow acceleration. The second is pretty straightforward, and as for the third...you could definitely apply this law beyond physics! Although when I think about it, sometimes it doesn't work out. Like, if you punch someone, they might punch you back. Maybe that's equal, but is it opposite? Possibly, if you see a punch going in the opposite direction as "opposite" to that first punch. But if you are caring for someone, and they care for you back, is that opposite? Seems more "the same" than opposite. Maybe its not possible to translate this physics equation into human interactions after all.
2) I really hope that our culture becomes more energy efficient. Right now, it feels like we're so wasteful. So many lights on in rooms with no one in them, such dirty fuel being burned when there are many viable alternatives. I wonder why the gym I go to isnt being powered by the energy created from all those treadmills rather than an outside (and likely dirty) electricity source. We need to become more efficient, as quickly as possible. It still may not be enough to stave off the worst effects of global warming, but its worth a shot
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