The Apollo 15 Feather/Hammer Drop Challenge

[jberryhill]

Okay, kids, put on your thinking caps and watch this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE81zGhnb0w

Now, whip out your calculator and tell me something interesting.

[zappaman]

1. that doesn't look right to me

so it must be phony

[SDuderstadt]

2. I don't recall Berryhill challenging you to...

do your best impression of Spooked, dude.

BTW, I thought you were quarantined.

[zappaman]

3. shhhhh

please dude, don't let my alien captors know I am out and about.

[SDuderstadt]

4. Hint:

Spooked is a mole, dude. Because of him, your alien captors know your every move. If you don't believe me, go the the mall closest to you. Once inside, proceed immediately to the nearest mall directory and you'll see what I mean. No matter how cleverly you disguise yourself or how rapidly you visit all the mall directories, our alien overlords know PRECISELY where you are. They even taunt you with secret messages ("you are here") on these directories, as if to rub it in. Spooky.

[jberryhill]

16. I always wondered how they knew that /nt

[JackRiddler]

25. Truest thing you've ever said: "Spooked is a mole."

Who plays a beat-up doll for your gang.

[SDuderstadt]

26. It's your turn next...

dude.

[Twist_U_Up]

28. have you been high today?

might wanna chill on the weed dude.

[SDuderstadt]

29. I have a secret transmission for you...

The carrots will absolutely NOT negotiate with the asparagus. Spooked said you would know exactly what that means, dude.

Did that answer your question, TuuTuu?

[SidDithers]

5. Wires. It's done with wires...

I think you can see 'em if you look really closely.

Sid

[SDuderstadt]

6. THIN wires, dude...

THIN wires. Get it straight, Dithers.

[SidDithers]

10. My bad...

I'll try to do better next time :hi:

Sid

[SidDithers]

7. Estimates only...drop time ~1 second, drop height ~1m...

t= (2h/g)^-2

1=(2/g)^-2

1 = 2/g

g=2 m/s^2 on the moon (actually we know it's 1.63 m/s^2, so I'm off a bit)


Sid

[jberryhill]

8. What else is interesting...

Is that you can see the objects are accelerating as well.

So getting the servo for the wires to simulate that was quite a trick - right down to the way the handle on the hammer keels over at the end.

[zappaman]

9. "quite a trick"?

not if you use alien technology

[spooked911]

13. Yes, could have been faked in many ways...

and the hammer does not seem to be falling slower than a heavy object on earth for that height. I don't think air slows fall speed significantly over that distance and with that mass.

Actually, speaking of wires, an easy way to fake it would have been to attach wires to the objects, and have the wires go through holes in the studio floor, then be attached to fairly heavy objects. The objects would fall according to the heavy weight pulling the wire...

[jberryhill]

15. Thank you so much for responding

I'm starting to wonder whether you know more about how the fakery was conducted than you let on, but if you say too much, they'll silence you.

Am I on the right track?

[spooked911]

18. Umm, no

I don't have any specific knowledge of how they faked it, and I haven't had any specific threats.

Otherwise, rather an odd comment to make.

[SDuderstadt]

20. Conspiracy Theorist Dictionary

"could have been" = "was"

[cherokeeprogressive]

11. Well that didn't work out very well at ALL.

The hammer fell faster than my calculator did. I pretty much knew that would happen. Like I needed an anonymous internet poster to prove that to me.

Now I have a broken toe, AND a broken calculator. See, the hammer bounced, and landed on my flip-flop clad foot. When I jumped due to the pain, the hammer became airborne again, landing on the calculator. Fucker. Thanks. It was a real good Texas Instruments scientific one too.

I'm really confused about what you were trying to prove by having me drop a hammer and a calculator at the same time. You're screwy.

[jberryhill]

12. That reminds me of an old anecdote...

A physics professor gives the following as a final exam question:

"How would you determine the height of a tall building using a barometer?"

Among the answers:

* Tying the barometer to the end of a piece of string, lowering the barometer from the top of the building and then measuring the length of the string and barometer once the barometer touches the ground

* Lowering the barometer from the top of the building on a piece of string, then swinging it like a pendulum and measuring the period of its oscillation;

* Counting the number of stairs climbed whilst carrying the barometer up to the roof and multiplying that by the height of one stair riser.

* Using a shorter piece of string measure the period of the makeshift pendulum at the top and bottom of the building. Use the two values to determine the change in gravitational force and therefore the height of the building;

* Dropping the barometer off the top of the building, using a stopwatch to measure how long it takes to hit the ground, and solving for height in the equations for a falling body;

* Placing the barometer against the building at ground level, marking the top, placing the barometer above the mark, marking the new top, and so on until the building has been measured in "barometer units";

* Measuring the barometer, finding the length of the shadow cast by the barometer when stood on the ground, then finding the length of the building's shadow in the same conditions;

* Finding the building custodian and offering them the barometer in exchange for information about the height of the building.

* Chuck it at the teacher, then whilst he is knocked out, read the answer sheet.

[cherokeeprogressive]

14. LOL. I'd call that last one "The Gordian Knot Method". n/t

[jberryhill]

17. A Texas Instruments Calculator?

Your nerd license is revoked.

Get an HP and use RPN entry, and don't come back until you do.

Poseur.

[William Seger]

19. 1 1 +

Nailed him.

[SDuderstadt]

21. + 33

And I don't even own a damn calculator. The "33" is for Spooked. It's probably his goofiest bullshit.

[LARED]

22. RPN is an evil government plot

perpetrated by engineering nerds at the highest level.

[Make7]

23. Don't diminish the Masons involvement.

R is the 18th letter of the alphabet

  8 1 +  returns 9

P is the 16th letter of the alphabet

  6 1 +  returns 7

N is the 14th letter of the alphabet

  4 1 +  returns 5


add them together

  5 7 9 + +  returns 21


reverse the digits and you get 12

  12 21 +  returns...

33

The clues are so obvious when you know what to look for.
 

[LARED]

24. Brilliant!!!! nt

[zappaman]

27. OMFG!

That is truly scary!