Your Science Teacher Was Right

Most of us remember from science class what Galileo discovered: In a vacuum, if we drop two objects regardless of weight, from the same height, they will hit the ground at exactly the same time. We don't get to see this often on Earth, of course, due to air resistance. 

That's what makes this video of British physicist Brian Cox so special. For his new BBC 2 show, Human Universe, Brian visits NASA’s Space Power Facility in Ohio to see what happens when a bowling ball and a feather are dropped together in a vacuum chamber. According to Science Alert, the facility is the world’s largest vacuum chamber, measuring 100 feet by 122 feet, and has a volume of 22,653 cubic meters. When not in use, the chamber contains around 30 metric tons of air, but when it’s turned on, all but around 2 grams of air are sucked out to create an artificial vacuum. 

At UCEC, we love science and technology. This has both, plus the giddiness of NASA engineers and scientists. Enjoy the clip!

 

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Mark InbodenComment