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Chapter 4: Problem 6

A barefoot astronaut kicks a ball, hard, across a space station. Does the ball's apparent weightlessness mean the astronaut's toes don't hurt? Explain.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The astronaut's toes will hurt when they kick the ball. Although the astronaut and the ball are both falling together which gives an illusion of weightlessness, the force the astronaut uses to kick the ball will be returned with an equal amount of force to the astronaut's foot due to Newton's Third Law of Motion, and thus causing pain.

Step by step solution

01

Importance of Newton's third law of motion

Recognize that Newton's third law of motion remains applicable even in a zero gravity environment. When the astronaut kicks the ball, he applies a force to the ball. But the ball also applies an equal and opposite force to the astronaut's foot.
02

Understanding weigthlessness

Understand that weightlessness in space is due to an object, in this case the astronaut and the space station, constantly falling towards Earth while also moving forward. As a result, the downward force of gravity is offset by the forward motion, producing the sensation of weightlessness. This does not affect the astronaut applying a force to the ball, and hence the ball applying an equal force back to the astronaut's foot according to Newton's third law.
03

Pain in Toes

The force applied by the ball onto the astronaut's foot is what causes pain. Regardless of whether it's in a zero-gravity environment or on Earth, a sufficiently hard force applied on the foot will cause pain.

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