Why Do We Feel Weightless in Free Fall?

Pirooz Mohazzabi

Citation: The Physics Teacher 44, 240 (2006); doi: 10.1119/1.2186237

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 Why Do We Feel
Weightless in Free Fall?
Pirooz Mohazzabi, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha, WI
U
sing a very simple model, we explain why
in free fall we do not feel our own weight or
acceleration due to gravity, whereas in an ac-
celerating vehicle not only do we feel our acceleration
and the inflicting force, if they are high enough, they
can be fatal.
On Aug. 16, 1960, as a part of a program known as
“Project Excelsior,” U.S. Air Force Captain Joseph Kit-
tinger Jr. carried out a fantastic yet extremely challeng-
ing and dangerous experiment in atmospheric physics.
The purpose of the experiment was to investigate the
conditions that would allow high-flying military air-
craft pilots to safely escape by parachute at altitudes
in excess of 100,000 ft. To do this, Kittinger rode in
an open gondola attached to a giant plastic helium-
filled balloon. The experiment started at a point east
of the Trinity Site in New Mexico, where the world’s
first atomic bomb was tested. The balloon took off at
5:29 a.m., ascended at a rate of 1200–1300 ft/min,
and within an hour and a half of liftoff reached an al-
titude of 102,800 ft. Shortly after 7:00 a.m., Kittinger
walked over to the door of the gondola and started his
historical four-and-a-half-minute free fall.1-4
Among many interesting observations during his
experiment, Kittinger noted that after stepping off the
gondola he felt as if he was suspended in space and not
moving at all. But when he rolled over and looked up,
the balloon appeared to be shooting away from him
and only then did he realize he was falling.
At an altitude of 102,800 ft (31,332 m), where Kit-
tinger started his free fall, air pressure is only
0.015 atm and the atmosphere is essentially nonex-
240
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istent.4,5 Furthermore, it is straightforward to show
that at this altitude the acceleration due to gravity has
a value of 0.990g = 9.70 m/s2. Therefore, in the ab-
sence of air resistance at the onset of his free fall, Kit-
tinger was accelerating down at almost the full gravita-
tional acceleration while a force of gravity nearly equal
to his full weight was acting on him. Then why did he
not feel his own acceleration or the force of gravity on
him at the beginning of his fall?
The space shuttle and the International Space Sta-
tion both orbit the Earth at an average altitude of
about 350 km.6-8 We have all seen pictures of astro-
nauts floating around inside the space shuttle or the
space station, feeling weightless. Nevertheless, at an
altitude of 350 km, the acceleration due to gravity has
a value of about 0.899g or 8.81 m/s2. Therefore, astro-
nauts in the space shuttle or the space station constantly
accelerate toward Earth at this rate (which is their cen-
tripetal acceleration) and still experience about 90% of
their weight. Then why do the astronauts not feel their
weight and acceleration?
In order to train astronauts for the conditions en-
countered in space, as well as for conducting basic
research, NASA uses a KC-135A aircraft, which is
a modified Boeing 707 cargo plane known as the
“Vomit Comet.” The plane flies on a parabolic path,
first nose up and then down, and near the top of its
trajectory it generates an apparent weightlessness condi-
tion. This condition takes place around an altitude of
about 32,000 ft and lasts for 20–25 seconds.9 At that
altitude, the training astronauts still experience 99.7%
of their weight and accelerate toward Earth at a rate of
DOI: 10.1119/1.2186237 THE PHYSICS TEACHER ◆ Vol. 44, April 2006
 0.997g. Nonetheless, they feel weightless. Indeed, in
the literature they are incorrectly stated to be in “zero
gravity” or “zero-g.” But why do they feel weightless?
Finally, many of us have experienced “weightless-
ness” in free fall while bouncing on a trampoline or a
diving board, swinging high enough on a swing that
the ropes are level at the high points or at the slow top
of a giant swing on the high bar. Certainly we are not
weightless in these situations, but why do we feel that
we are?
On the other hand, if we are in an airplane that
accelerates on a runway or in an accelerating car, we
feel our acceleration and the forces that our seat exerts
on our back, even though they are both considerably
smaller than those due to gravity. Likewise, when we
experience a centripetal acceleration (such as in a hu-
man centrifuge or on a merry-go-round), again we feel
the accelerations and the forces that cause them. What
is the difference between these forces and accelerations
and those due to gravity?
To answer these questions, consider a one-dimen-
sional model consisting of N identical blocks, each
of mass m, connected by N – 1 identical massless
springs, as shown in Fig. 1. The system, which rests on
a frictionless table, is to be accelerated to the right so
that each mass will have an acceleration a. One way to
accomplish this is to apply a force f with magnitude f
= ma to each and every block in the chain, as shown
in Fig. 2. A second way to accelerate the system is to
apply a force F = N f either to the left of the chain or
to the right of the chain, as shown in Fig. 3, which
propagates throughout the system and accelerates the
blocks. In both scenarios, each block accelerates at a
rate a. There is, however, a major difference between
the two cases. In the former case, all the springs re-
main relaxed and none of the blocks in the system
experiences a force from its adjacent blocks. In the
latter case, on the other hand, while the system is ac-
celerating the springs are compressed or stretched to
a varying degree with the highest deformation in the
spring at one end of the system and the lowest defor-
mation in the spring at the other end, as shown in
Fig. 3. Consequently, as the system accelerates, each
block experiences a force from its neighboring blocks.
In other words, each block is either “squeezed” or
“stretched” by its neighbors.
We feel a force only if, as a result of it, one part of
THE PHYSICS TEACHER ◆ Vol. 44, April 2006
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Fig. 1. A linear chain of N identical blocks connected by N – 1
springs on a frictionless surface.
f f f f f
Fig. 2. The system is accelerated by equal forces f that act on
each and every block. Each block accelerates at rate a without
causing any deformation in the springs.
F
(a)
F
(b)
Fig. 3. The system is accelerated by a single force F = N f, causing
the same acceleration a in each block as in Fig. 2. In this case,
however, the springs deform during the acceleration.
our body pushes or pulls against the adjacent parts.
In other words, we feel a force only if it has an effect
similar to the situation described in Fig. 3. Contact
forces are generally of this nature. On the other hand,
if a force does not bring about such a compression or
expansion in parts of our bodies, we do not feel it. The
gravitational field exerts a force on each and every par-
ticle of our body, a situation similar to that depicted
in Fig. 2. Therefore, we do not feel the gravitational
force. Forces that are generated as a result of fields are
usually of this nature, although there are exceptions as
we shall see later.
During Kittinger’s free fall, the gravitational field
of Earth exerted forces directly on each and every par-
ticle of his body, inflicting an acceleration g on them.
The lack of any deformation in the tissues of his body
during the acceleration and the absence of any “wind”
confused Kittinger’s perception, feeling that he was
241
 suspended in space even though he was accelerating 5. U.S. Standard Atmosphere, 1962 (Government Printing
down at almost the full gravitational acceleration. Office, Washington, D.C., December 1962).
In a human centrifuge or in an accelerating vehicle, 6. Altitude of a Space Shuttle, http://hypertextbook.com/
on the other hand, the passenger is accelerated by a facts/2000/AndresMok.shtml.
contact force that acts similar to that shown in Fig. 7. International Space Station, http://www.boeing.com/
3(a). This force propagates throughout the passenger’s history/boeing/spacestation.html.
body, causing one part of the body to push against 8. Station location, http://science.nasa.gov/temp/
another. Thus, the passenger feels the force as various StationLoc.html.
organs in the body are “squeezed.” 9. Reduced Gravity Program, http://zerog.jsc.nasa.gov/
Similar reasoning can explain why we do not home.html.
feel our own weight. When we are standing on the PACS codes: 01.30.Rr, 01.55.+b, 45.20.da
ground, sitting, or lying down, what we perceive
as our weight is the upward normal force that the
ground exerts on us. This force causes slight com- Pirooz Mohazzabi received his Ph.D. in materials sci-
ence and engineering from the University of California,
pressions in our body, mainly in the parts that are in Berkeley in 1975. He is currently a professor of physics at
contact with the ground; thus we feel it. When we are the University of Wisconsin–Parkside.
in an elevator and the elevator accelerates upward or Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin–
Parkside, Kenosha, WI 53141; pirooz.mohazzabi@
downward, we feel a little heavier or a little lighter, uwp.edu
respectively, even though our weight has not changed.
And if the cable breaks, we feel weightless for some-
time, but not for long!
In conclusion, we see that there are different ways
that an object or human body can be accelerated. If
the mechanism for the acceleration results in deforma-
tion of tissues in the body, the forces and the accelera- Concerned about
tion are felt. Otherwise we do not feel the forces and the safety of your students?
the accelerations. Although most of the forces that Best
originate from force fields do not cause deformation Seller
in our bodies, sometimes they do and we feel them. !
For example, if we stand in an electric field, our hair
stands out and we experience a sensation in our skin.
Although these forces are caused by the electric field,
they polarize us, especially near the skin and hair. As
a result, different parts of our bodies gain different
electric charges and tend to be accelerated at different
rates, thus causing a slight deformation in the tissues
near the skin.

References
1. J.W. Kittinger Jr., “The long, lonely leap,” Nat. Geo-
graph. 118, 854 (1960).
2. J.W. Kittinger Jr., The Long, Lonely Leap (Dutton, New
York, 1961). Promote safety awareness and encourage safe habits
with this essential manual. Appropriate for elementary
3. C. Ryan, The Pre-Astronauts, Manned Ballooning on the to advanced undergraduate laboratories.
Threshold of Space (Naval Institute, Annapolis, 1995).
Members: $21.95 • Nonmembers: $27.50
4. P. Mohazzabi and J. H. Shea, “High-altitude free fall,” order online: www.aapt.org/store or call: 301-209-3333
Am. J. Phys. 64, 1242 (Oct. 1996).

242 THE PHYSICS TEACHER ◆ Vol. 44, April 2006

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