Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

You are able to leave he earth’s gravitational field by going a speed less than the terminal velocity at your current radius if you apply a constant force upward equal to the amount of force pushing down word on you after achieving any speed greater than zero. This is because you will have a net force of zero therefore continually moving upward till you reach a distance away from the earth where your terminal velocity is less than the current speed you were going. Can you apply such logic to a black hole where you begin moving upward at any speed and then you produce a force equal to the force of gravity caused by the black hole moving, thus moving you at the same speed you began at because your net force is zero? There fore you keep moving until you reach a distance far enough away from the black hole so that your terminal velocity is less than the velocity at which you are moving and you are able to escape the gravitational field of the black hole.

Hi,

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A. Norman

Hello,
the Ask the Expert forum is for students in grades K-12 (and their teachers and parents) who are doing hands-on science projects. If you are doing a hands-on science project, please provide details about your hypothesis and the experiments you plan to conduct. Otherwise, there are other sites on the web where your questions would be more appropriate.

Thank you,
Madeline
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