Why Objects of Different Mass Fall at The Same Rate

Why do different-mass objects fall at the same rate? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice explain the acceleration of gravity, Galileo’s experiment, and Einstein’s Equivalence principle.

Why was Aristotle so wrong about gravity? We break down Galileo’s hammer and feather experiment on The Leaning Tower of Pisa and The Moon. Learn about what Einstein thought of this phenomenon as he came up with the Equivalence principle and how gravity bends light.

Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus

FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to StarTalk:

About StarTalk:
Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!

#StarTalk #neildegrassetyson

00:00 - Why Do Objects Fall At the Same Rate?
1:00 - Galileo’s Experiment
2:18 - Apollo 15 Hammer & Feather Experiment
3:20 - The Classic Onion & Ball Experiment
5:24 - The Equivalence Principal
8:05 - Gravity Bending Light

[StarTalk]

Did you know about the Apollo 15 experiment?

[StarTalk]

RIP Aristotle you would've hated this episode

[Ytinasniiable]

I feel like chuck has helped Niel feel less like he's talking down, idk what it is, but i like his more recent stuff and the way he explains things than the way he used to a number of years ago

Could just be me and i understand him better, but the mood just feels more relaxed than it used to

[cliffordobaze]

Aristotle live over two thousand years ago and unlike Galileo and Einstein, had no science precedence to guide him. That he had the audacity to speculate on such highly rarified subject, shows how truly remarkable and brilliant he really is. Thumbs up to him.

[savagepro]

The Leaning Tower of Pizza --->> Food for Thought

[greatdayn]

What an amazing explainer Mr. Tyson is proven to be.

[lindalee]

Right before Neil dropped the ball and onion, YT interrupted it with an ad from a meal delivery service where a bag dropped to a table! It was seamless!

[elprofessor]

Keep making these videos and educate us. Love it

[One.Zero.One]

This is one of the best episodes on this channel. I knew most of the concepts here but the way Neil tied them all up together just made me understand it on a deeper level.

[snowgods]

For those of you with a mathematical bent:

F= Force
G= constant
m mass of object
M= Mass of planet
R = Distance between their center of masses
a = accleleration of the object

F = GmM/R²
F=ma

ma = GmM/R²

a=GmM/(R²m)

Cancel the m

a= GM/R² => acceleration is independent of the mas of the object.

Assumption: gravitational mass is identical to inertial mass. We think this is true, but as far as I know it hasn't yet been proven.

[lesliefranklin]

Galileo actually did perform experiments on this. He used ramps (instead of dropping straight down) to slow down the experiments so he could observe more closely.

Next time I go to Italy, I'll be sure to visit that "Tower of Pizza." Neil must have been hungry. 😀

[zdjbidp]

Well in Aristotle's defence (I don't think he needs one though), the man invented Physics!...
I mean he started the science of physics.
He first used the term "Physics" from the Greek word "fysika" which means "nature"
He first studied the science that he believed described nature.
Even the term "scientific method" was first described by him.
❤❤

[jessecabaniss]

In The Expanse, the space ships create gravity through acceleration. It's the most realistic portrayal I've seen of space ships. Really freaking cool.

[houserhythm]

The Expanse (sci-fi series) does on spaceships amazingly accurate.

[relasoft]

Pretty much like weight lifting: you lift the weight at the same rate, always, but for heavy weights you use more strength. The more weight, the more force that you has to apply to sustain the rate.

[Aurochhunter]

Poor flat Earthers, they won't understand this at all.

[sj]

This video of all star talk made me think the most of any topic so far. So much thought provoking and how powerful human mind can be. Blows me away when he says Einstein deduced light bending from this and mic drop.

[freeb]

Doesn't get much better than that video, thanks guys. A+.

[HaleyMKunz]

The saying "the bigger they are, the harder they fall, " makes so much more sense now! 😲🤯🤯🤯

[theunluckycharm]

Chuck has to be the funniest comedian i have ever seen I mean the guy doesnt miss! Every joke is on point good job Chuck you did your absolute best 👌