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How do you move ten feet?

  1. Mar 15, 2004 #1
    My physics teacher presented us with an interesting problem, but I can't think of a resonable solution. The task is to:

    Move at least ten feet without the use of a motor, human propulsion or wheels.

    I have thought of several ways of solving this problem, but all of them would involve creating complex apparatuses. For example using a ramp and a "sled" with ice or soap on it to reduce friction, but my teacher said that their was a less elablorate way of doing it. She did say that the way she was thinking of involves soap, which I'm guessing is to reduce friction, but she hinted that it was not necesary to use a ramp, so therin lies my problem:

    How do you move someone ten feet without using human propultion, motors, or wheels, and with less complication then making a ramp?
  2. jcsd
  3. Mar 15, 2004 #2


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    This could be dangerous to your health, but if you are perched on the edge of a roof, the 10 feet of movement becomes pretty danged easy.
  4. Mar 15, 2004 #3
    Throw them in orbit. They'll move a lot more than 10 feet without any added force.

  5. Mar 15, 2004 #4
    I forgot to mention that the movement must be in the horizontal direction, in other words a straight line measure of ten feet parallel to the ground.
  6. Mar 15, 2004 #5
    I still say throw them in orbit. The "straight line" is a little curved, but it's still always parallel to the ground (in a circular orbit, anyway)!

  7. Mar 15, 2004 #6
    Thats at least a little bit more ellaborate then creating a ramp, which my teach said is more ellaborate then necessary.
  8. Mar 16, 2004 #7


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    Get on a steep hill then roll down. Gravity is propelling you and you are still moving parallel to the ground.
  9. Mar 16, 2004 #8
  10. Mar 16, 2004 #9

    Chi Meson

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    Shift your frame of reference to the center of the earth, and you just moved a lot more than 10 feet while you read this.

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