Re: is free-fall an inertial frame?

[Stefan Jeglinski <jeglin@4PI.COM>]

> >>let me try to quote a
> >>notion that keeps revolving in my head and drives me crazy: "when I'm
> >>in free-fall, I can't feel that it is gravity causing it;
>
>
> at the risk of over-simplifying, perhaps if you were not so familiar with
> earth's gravity it would not seem so transparent?  if you were originally
> from the moon, then would earth's gravity seem more evident?  or if you
> were on a friendly planet the mass of jupiter, wouldn't gravity then seem
> easier to recognize?


Not in the case of free-fall, which is my specific issue. I argue
that I could tell no difference in free-fall on the moon, the earth,
or Jupiter. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am assuming no
atmospheric drag, a condition which would only be really true on the
moon. I am also not considering the effect of opening my eyes and
judging which surface is approaching me faster. As a good physicist
:-), I would trust only my handy local accelerometer, which would
register nothing in all 3 cases.


Stefan Jeglinski