🚀 go-pugleaf

On Tue, 31 Dec 1996 19:14:02 -0500, Arthur Baum
<wb...@mail.icanect.net> wrote:

>> > > maybe its just me, but i always thought that acceleration meant the
>> > > change in one's speed and/or direction, therefore if i am sitting in
>> > > this chair, the only acceleration i am doing is due to the earth
>> > > spinning and orbiting the sun. since my speed toward the center of the
>> > > earth is zero, and does not change unless i fall out of the chair
>> > > (which has been known to happen), so whether i am at sea level or
>> > > 10000 meters, as long as i am not going up or down, acceleration
>> > > towards the center of the earth is always zero.
>
>Whoever posted this is absolutely right. (Again, if centripetal
>acceleration is towards the center of the earth, this is wrong. Can
>someone please tell me what is technically centripetal acceration?)

You must also note the relativity of the situation. For example, if a
person is in a car and the car accelerates, then TO THE CAR, the
person is not accelerating... see ?

So... from the Sun's point of view, the person on the chair is
constantly accelerating towards the centre of the earth. Or else he
would just go in a straight line and out into space (earth is round).