eli5 How does gravity pull down a light feather but not a rain cloud that weighs 1 million pounds?
In: Physics
From what I understand, there are a few things going on.
1- Most clouds are made up of small (think micro) individual water droplets. So the “million pounds” is distributed among the individual parts.
2- These parts are individualized and one part can leave without disturbing the rest.
3- Falling speed is not only dependent on weight but also surface area. So these water droplets are not only small (again micro) which also means they have a smaller surface area to pull on.
4- Finally there are gust of air flowing up. These gusts are mostly stronger than the gravity pulling down.
Edit: forgot to include where I read some of [this](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-clouds-float-when/).
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