Paul,
I actually tried that exact experiment on a bullet train and
suceeded in cathing the ball. It was on a Transrapid Maglev Train in Shanghai
and I was on my way back to the airport with the train going at a velocity of
well over 200 miles per hour.
When I arrived ay my destination, a witness to my
ball experiment told me that I was a very good ball catcher
and should apply for a position on a National Baseball League team.
I agreed with him, said he was telling the truth, and applied with
the Boston Red Sox. But he also told me that throwing the ball up in the air
and catching it on a fast-moving train was proof
that the railroad tracks were moving at over 200 miles per hour.
I told him, "The Track is NOT Moving!", called him a liar and left.
Bernie
Paul Deema <paul_deema@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Bernie B
Have you ever taken a trip in a railway carriage at about 100 km/h? If not, then no doubt you have been in a moving vehicle of some description at some time in your life and are possessed of some ability to imagine the railway carriage journey described.
If you were in such a carriage, seated in the middle of the carriage facing the rear of the train and travelling at 100 k/mh, if you were to throw a ball into the air -- say half-way to the ceiling -- with the intention of catching it when it descends, would you succeed, or are you of the opinion that
the ball would fly to the rear end of the carriage to bounce off the rear end wall?
Points will be awarded if you append your reasoning.
Paul D
