Boy, I just can't seem to swat all of the flies here can I? Somehow I ended up in a camp of scientists who either don't know or don't care about real or apparent forces. Somehow I got the distant planets moving at several multiplies of the speed of light in the far reaches of the universe. How, oh how, did this happen?
Anyway, I found this definition of "apparent forces" in the Harcourt Academic Press Dictionary of Science and Technology.
apparent force Mechanics. a fictitious force that appears to exist from physical experience or observation made in a noninertial frame of reference; e.g., the fact that a force seems to pull passengers forward if a car stops suddenly, or pull them outward as the car rounds a curve.
Is it just me, or is this definition absolutely laughable?
Imagine you're in a 4 door car sitting in the back seat next to the right rear door. The driver suddendly turns left at a round-about and you are pressed against the door. Assume the door in not closed well, and the pressure suddenly opens the door forward (assuming the door's hinges are on the pillar between the doors) and you tumble out onto the pavement.
My gosh, this "apparent force" actually did some work, since it opened the car door by moving it forward on its hinges. Can you hear yourself telling the ambulance driver that an imaginary ficticious "apparent force" dumped you out of the car onto the pavement? Suppose a car you're riding in as a front seat passenger, is stopped very suddenly during straight line travel, what "apparent force" smashed your head against the windshield? Those seat belts appear awefully strong to me for such an imaginary force. Oops, but that's "apparent" isn't it, as the seat belts only "look" that strong.
BTW, how on earth does traveling in a car place me in a "noninertial" frame of reference?
Absolutely bewildering.
(edited for typos)
[ 31 December 2001: Message edited by: Flight Safety ]</p>