Recent studies have shown some raindrops fall faster than terminal velocity, which is the measure of ultimate speed according to our understanding of gravity. (Basically: they fall faster than what we thought possible.) What do you think about this?
by 
Teresa
ANSWERS: 10
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Either the sudy is wrong, or we now know a little more about gravity than we used to. Bet the study is wrong.
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Just another of life's little mysteries. Like the propogation of magnetic flux along a waveguide which, according to the math, can actually travel faster than light. Hope this helps.
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I think it is interesting.
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Clearly either the test is wrong, terminal velocity wasn't as terminal as we thought or there is something about the raindrop that makes it different from other objects. . Maybe it is actually not the same raindrop from start to finish - since there is water in the air - and it/they can somehow condense ahead of its/their self.* . Or maybe has something to do with the raindrop's morphology and there is a kind of shape (or group of shapes-in-time) that, like a wing, directs air around it so as to create new rules of aerodynamics or even a variety of propulsion. . I am not remotely a physicist, but I kind of hope it turns out to be something new and cool and not just a poorly made test. __________________________________________________ *I was always fascinated by the way water drops rolling down a car window would bump into a streak of water and join it.
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Terminal velocity in any given gravity field is a function of object density, object geometry, atmospheric resistance, and gravitational attraction. Knowing this, there are only two potential variables which must be considered: wind resistance (wind currents affect this) and geometry of the fluid water droplets. Changes in these variables will affect terminal velocity of any given rain drop, causing fluctuations above and below the average terminal velocity of all the rain drops in a given environment.
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Then the old theory needs to be thrown out and a new one found. After the measurement has been checked, of course. But that is the way science advances: have an idea, test it, throw it out if it fails the test.
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This isn't quite true. The raindrops fell faster than their predicted terminal velocity at the point of measuring. However, the reason for this was because larger raindrops were fracturing into different sized and, importantly, shaped raindrops just prior to measuring. The still had the velocity of the "parent" raindrop but would have lost that if they'd had further to fall.
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if the study is right, then I would dare say that It deals with the quantum level of understanding(like quantum tunneling used with the faster than light photon)this would be my best hypothesis but to make that many droplets teleport microscopically hmmh.
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They've got to be propelled by some force that is yet to be discovered or else it would completely contradict the laws of gravity. How about this...maybe at terminal velocity there are weather conditions (that sometimes exist) which cause the tail end of the falling raindrop to evaporate (due to air friction?) and the change from water to gas causes a minisicule in atmospheric pressure at the tail end that then propels the raindrop to the point of exceeding terminal speed?
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It has no implications for our understanding of gravity. Terminal velocity is not "ultimate speed," or anything even remotely like it. That would be the speed of light. Terminal velocity is the point at which gravitational acceleration (9.8 meters per second squared) is matched by atmospheric resistance such that further acceleration is impossible. This is not a question of gravity. It's a question of aerodynamics of the raindrops and fluid dynamics relating to the atmosphere through which the raindrops are falling. Gravity is the one non-variable aspect of this.
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