[meteorite-list] Velocity vs. mass vs. drag?

From: Jason Utas <meteoritekid_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon Feb 7 23:57:10 2005
Message-ID: <93aaac89050207205767bfdabe_at_mail.gmail.com>

Hello All,
Although larger masses would have a larger surface area, smaller ones
have a greater surface area to weight ratio.
This means that assuming you had a large and small sphere of equal
density, that the smaller would slow down faster because of it's
greater surface area/weight ratio, even though its surface area is
actually less than that of the larger mass'.
This does not however always apply to meteorites. A main mass can
have several atmospheric breakups resulting in somewhat chaotic
strewn-fields.
Also, strong tailwinds can actually push smaller fragments farther
than the larger ones (I believe that this scenario was seen in the
Park Forest fall).
Shape can also be a major factor in the distribution of fragments. A
particularly oddly shaped meteorite will slow down much more quickly
than a much more rounded, smoother one.
So, to answer Tom's question, it all depends on the size of the mass.
A smaller mass would have less kinetic energy/velocity, and would
spend the last second or so of it's fall free-falling straight down,
drag having stopped all horizontal motion. A larger mass might have
enough kinetic energy to retain some of it's original horizontal
velocity.
Conceptual Physics Honors...
Regards,
Jason
Phewph, what a weekend ;n)
Received on Mon 07 Feb 2005 11:57:08 PM PST