Why Objects of Different Mass Fall at The Same Rate

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Published 2024-05-30
Why do different-mass objects fall at the same rate? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice explain the acceleration of gravity, Galileo’s experiment, and Einstein’s Equivalence principle.

Why was Aristotle so wrong about gravity? We break down Galileo’s hammer and feather experiment on The Leaning Tower of Pisa and The Moon. Learn about what Einstein thought of this phenomenon as he came up with the Equivalence principle and how gravity bends light.

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00:00 - Why Do Objects Fall At the Same Rate?
1:00 - Galileo’s Experiment
2:18 - Apollo 15 Hammer & Feather Experiment
3:20 - The Classic Onion & Ball Experiment
5:24 - The Equivalence Principal
8:05 - Gravity Bending Light

All Comments (21)
  • @StarTalk
    Did you know about the Apollo 15 experiment?
  • @StarTalk
    RIP Aristotle you would've hated this episode
  • Aristotle live over two thousand years ago and unlike Galileo and Einstein, had no science precedence to guide him. That he had the audacity to speculate on such highly rarified subject, shows how truly remarkable and brilliant he really is. Thumbs up to him.
  • @greatdayn4651
    What an amazing explainer Mr. Tyson is proven to be.
  • @Ytinasniiable
    I feel like chuck has helped Niel feel less like he's talking down, idk what it is, but i like his more recent stuff and the way he explains things than the way he used to a number of years ago Could just be me and i understand him better, but the mood just feels more relaxed than it used to
  • @linda1lee2
    Right before Neil dropped the ball and onion, YT interrupted it with an ad from a meal delivery service where a bag dropped to a table! It was seamless!
  • @houserhythm
    The Expanse (sci-fi series) does acceleration/deceleration/“gravity” on spaceships amazingly accurate.
  • Galileo actually did perform experiments on this. He used ramps (instead of dropping straight down) to slow down the experiments so he could observe more closely. Next time I go to Italy, I'll be sure to visit that "Tower of Pizza." Neil must have been hungry. 😀
  • @freeb1111
    Doesn't get much better than that video, thanks guys. A+.
  • @majkus
    The demonstration in the children's biography of Galileo that I read as a kid pointed out that a wadded-up sheet of paper and an unfolded paper fall at different rates, so the weight is not the determiner.
  • @snowgods2195
    For those of you with a mathematical bent: F= Force G= constant m mass of object M= Mass of planet R = Distance between their center of masses a = accleleration of the object F = GmM/R² F=ma ma = GmM/R² a=GmM/(R²m) Cancel the m a= GM/R² => acceleration is independent of the mas of the object. Assumption: gravitational mass is identical to inertial mass. We think this is true, but as far as I know it hasn't yet been proven.
  • Chuck has to be the funniest comedian i have ever seen I mean the guy doesnt miss! Every joke is on point good job Chuck you did your absolute best 👌
  • @morkey74
    Loved this episode. Sometimes the basics are the founadtion of understanding.
  • @user-zd1jb4id8p
    Well in Aristotle's defence (I don't think he needs one though), the man invented Physics!... I mean he started the science of physics. He first used the term "Physics" from the Greek word "fysika" which means "nature" He first studied the science that he believed described nature. Even the term "scientific method" was first described by him. ❤❤
  • @relasoft
    Pretty much like weight lifting: you lift the weight at the same rate, always, but for heavy weights you use more strength. The more weight, the more force that you has to apply to sustain the rate.