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Today's Public Service Announcement.
Dec. 1st, 2007 06:49 pmWhen it comes to driving on snow/slush or other slick surfaces, it's roughly as close to the much-vaunted frictionless plane as we get. As such, there are three rules to keep in mind for such efforts:
1. An object will remain at rest, or continue to move at a constant velocity, unless a net force acts on it.
2. Net force on an object is equal to its mass multiplied by its acceleration.
3. For every force acting on an object, the object will exert an equal, yet opposite, force on its cause.
In other words, if you're trying to get up a slick hill, keep moving, man. Turn back and forth in the lane. Don't stop. Slow and steady will make progress, while gunning your engine, spinning your wheels, and stopping frequently will not. Whatever you do, don't stop your car in the middle of the road, get out, and look confusedly at the people who are trying to pass your ass without sliding into the ditch.
Argh.
So glad things warmed up just enough so that the roads cleared and I could get up my hill without the idiot children blocking the road. I spent most of the day on the road, actually, driving from home to Children's Hospital where Will had his workshop for siblings of special needs kids, then back, then not making it up the hill thanks to the aforementioned idiot children, then dropping Al off with his dad, then back to Children's again, then to the dad's to drop off Will, then home. Whew.
Finally managed to have some dinner, my first actual food of the day, but I'm just happy not to have to be staying with my ex and his girlfriend this evening in case I couldn't make it up the hill to my house (something I was unable to do halfway through the day). It's kind of them to offer, but awkward in practice, at least for me, which is enough. Anyway. Yeah. Newton's Laws of Motion, people. Learn 'em, love 'em, live 'em.
1. An object will remain at rest, or continue to move at a constant velocity, unless a net force acts on it.
2. Net force on an object is equal to its mass multiplied by its acceleration.
3. For every force acting on an object, the object will exert an equal, yet opposite, force on its cause.
In other words, if you're trying to get up a slick hill, keep moving, man. Turn back and forth in the lane. Don't stop. Slow and steady will make progress, while gunning your engine, spinning your wheels, and stopping frequently will not. Whatever you do, don't stop your car in the middle of the road, get out, and look confusedly at the people who are trying to pass your ass without sliding into the ditch.
Argh.
So glad things warmed up just enough so that the roads cleared and I could get up my hill without the idiot children blocking the road. I spent most of the day on the road, actually, driving from home to Children's Hospital where Will had his workshop for siblings of special needs kids, then back, then not making it up the hill thanks to the aforementioned idiot children, then dropping Al off with his dad, then back to Children's again, then to the dad's to drop off Will, then home. Whew.
Finally managed to have some dinner, my first actual food of the day, but I'm just happy not to have to be staying with my ex and his girlfriend this evening in case I couldn't make it up the hill to my house (something I was unable to do halfway through the day). It's kind of them to offer, but awkward in practice, at least for me, which is enough. Anyway. Yeah. Newton's Laws of Motion, people. Learn 'em, love 'em, live 'em.
