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by d__k 2621 days ago
> The heavier the ball, the quicker it falls. But if it’s too heavy, it can get stuck or overshoot the target.

This explanation of momentum is somewhere between misleading and wrong. Momentum is about inertia and acceleration, i.e., the ability to quickly change speed.

1 comments

> The heavier the ball, the quicker it falls

Wasn't there a famous experiment about this someone once did?

A misleading experiment: the heavier the feather the quicker it falls is obviously true; steel feathers are useless. The same is true for balls (except for the exceptional situation of a perfect vacuum), it's just that drag and air currents don't influence balls all that much at low speeds.