There is no such thing as Zero Gravity

Recently, bombshell Kate Upton was in a "Zero G" shoot for sports illustrated. GMA news in it's article "

Kate Upton's bikini science: Why there's no such thing as zero gravity" explores the science behind this weightlessness felt on the "Zero G" plane. Kate Upton may have swept many men off their feet, but does weightlessness really exist?

The Zero G plane simulates the feeling of weightlessness. According to the article, one does not experience zero gravity but rather zero weight. Relative to the plane, Kate Upton seems like she is in space because she is falling at the same rate of the plane. The Zero G plane dives at the rate of free-fall. The people inside the plane are weightless relative to the plane since there is no normal force acting against the person in free-fall.

The most surprising part of the article was that Zero G is a myth. An object does not actually experience zero gravity at anytime but can experience microgravity wherein gravity is so small that it is a negligible force.

What interested me in this article, aside from Kate Upton's beauty, was the relation of Kate Upton's experience to Einstein's theory of Relativity. This made me read up more on the topic. The theory's is used to explain Kate Upton's experience - according to Einstein, "being in a free-falling elevator is equivalent to being in an elevator in space." I find the theory of relativity very interesting since it says that space is separate from time and that the experience of the two is relative to the location and speed of the observer.

I liked how GMA New's article talked about the scientific principles behind something as silly as Kate Upton floating half nude in a Zero G plane. It may not be a great example, but this article shows how science can be used to appreciate the things around us that we already appreciate just through knowing how they work scientifically. Now that I know how the Zero G makes one feel weightless, the next thing I want to know, is how Kate is able to make me feel weightless.

by Alberto Oxales III
2012-62271