If you were standing on a bus, and you jumped, would you still be in the same place you started, or would your position have changed?
by 
gerrik
ANSWERS: 4
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I'd be flat on my face!
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It depends on what you mean by the same spot and if the bus is moving. If the bus is moving at a constant speed and you are moving along with it when you jump and you jump straight up, then you will land right back on the same spot on the floor of the bus as you jumped from. However, both you and the bus will have moved laterally along the road in the time that you were in the air. So, the part of the road that is under when you land will not be the same part that was under you when you jumped. However, it will still be that same part of road that would have been under you had you not jumped. You and the bus are moving at the same speed in the same direction. So the road passes under you at the same rate regardless of whether you are jumping or not.
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I've been on thousands of buses. If you jump on one, you would change position into one being stared at by the other passengers, and rapidly into one trying to melt into a seat in a corner somwhere. Buses in my location are hard enough to stand up in without jumping. Assuming a theoretical exam-question type bus the answer is: The bus is stationary, you land where you started. The bus is travelling at a constant speed in a straight line, you land where you started. The bus is turning left, you land towards the right side of the bus. The bus is turning right, you land towards the left side of the bus. The bus is accelerating, you land towards the back of the bus. The bus is decelerating, you land towards the front of the bus.
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Well, if the bus swerved, I think your position would change drastically. But if all things were normal, then your position stays the same when you land.
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