If a feather and a brick were dropped together in a vacuum-that is, an area from which all air has been removed-they would fall at the same rate, and hit the ground at the same time. Understanding these basic facts will help you to be able to answer the question of why some objects fall faster than others. Test this theory yourself!
Another common question is “Do feathers fall at the same rate as a bowling ball?”.
In air, a feather and a ball do not fall at the same rate. In the case of a pen and a bowling ball air resistance is small compared to the force a gravity that pulls them to the ground. (The argument has nothing to do with air resistance, it is assumed to be absent.
A feather and brick dropped together. Air resistance causes the feather to fall more slowly. If a feather and a brick were dropped together in a vacuum—that is, an area from which all air has been removed—they would fall at the same rate, and hit the ground at the same time.
Air resistance affects different shapes differently. Because the Apollo crew were essentially in a vacuum, there was no air resistance and the feather fell at the same rate as the hammer. This is exactly what Galileo had concluded hundreds of years before: all objects released together fall at the same rate regardless of mass.
Does brick float?
A small, heavy object has higher density than a large light object. Lego bricks have many air bubbles trapped inside them. The density of the brick with all those bubbles is less than that of water – so the bricks float, no matter how many of them you stick together.
Most Lego bricks are made of ABS plastic which has a specific gravity greater than 1 (but only slightly). So, they are heavier than water and will not float naturally. You can get small bricks to float initially since small bubbles cling to their surface, but they will all sink eventually.
Another inquiry we ran across in our research was “How to make ABS bricks float in water?”.
You can get small bricks to float initially since small bubbles cling to their surface, but they will all sink eventually. Since ABS isn’t affected by salt water – it might be possible to increase the salinity of the water to a point where the bricks naturally float (would need to be higher concentration than sea water ).
Why do boats float on concrete?
The object is considered to be “buoyant” when it floats due to low density. By spreading out the concrete used to make the boat over a larger area, the density of the boat becomes less than the water and it floats. Ahead we’ll discuss a bit more about buoyancy and how concrete can flat.
Does concrete float or sink?
But if concrete is shaped in the right way and light enough, it can float just like any other material. Any object, including concrete, will float if it’s less dense than the water it’s placed in. An object will sink if it’s more dense than the water. If it has an equal density, it will neither sink nor float.