Eli5: why when I’m standing on a moving train and I jump, the train doesn’t move around me?

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Eli5: why when I’m standing on a moving train and I jump, the train doesn’t move around me?

In: Physics

18 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

It is called inertia.

Things in motion (or not in motion) stay in their current state unless there is an outside force acting upon them.

When you jump you keep moving forward. The train will accelerate slightly underneath you if it is currently increasing your speed and the air will probably slow you down a bit.

So when you jump up high you will usually land a little further back on the train.

It is the same reason why you fall over when the train abruptly brakes. Your body keeps moving forward but the train stops moving. Your feet stick to the train floor because of friction, so your upper body just moves forward without your feet and you fall over.

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