Sunday, July 5, 2009

CARS, POLES, LEVER ARMS AND ELEMENTARY PHYSICS


Hi All,

The BLOG entry below, about the accident, is an incredible travesty of basic Physics, let's have a look.
The picture above is a classical exemplar of what happens when a vehicle, moving at some speed, collides with a pole. The pole above was struck by a vehicle travelling toward us the viewers. It takes a significant velocity to snap a pole and so, it must have been, in the Clubhouse parking lot. The pole stump appears to be a 4" x 4" solid pine pole, securely fixed in asphalt at the bottom.
Note, that the base of the pole leans in the direction of travel of the colliding vehicle. At the instant the pole snaps, the top, longer, member is a free standing lever arm, and therefore, force applied in any direction causes the other end to travel in the other direction, think of a see-saw. The pole in the picture above, is obviously constrained at the top by wires; or it would have fallen toward the car that struck it. This is simply Newtonian Mechanics, as it rotates on its center of mass.
The Pine pole in the Clubhouse parking lot is not so constrained at the top, and it's base is pointed away from (to the right) the direction from which it was struck. There is no doubt whatsoever that the top, longer member of this pole flew in the direction from which it was struck, to the left.
The scenario being painted of a phantom vehicle coming from the right, snapping the pole, transporting it vertically across TWO barriers, impressing said pole deeply into the hood of the opposing vehicle and pushing said vehicle backwards against the resisting forces of engaged gearing; is ludicrous beyond belief. Of course one might hypothesize that the vehicle gear was left in neutral; but this is not normal or likely. To move a parked vehicle against such set gearing from across two barriers, and leave the pole base and top as described would require a large vehicle moving at high speed.
My two cents, for what they are worth; the cop is right and good luck finding the phantom vehicle!
Dave Israel

6 comments:

Grace said...

Hi Dave, you would have to go to the scene and see the rub on the tar from the pole scraping across it that stops at the barrier and would have been lifted up because the barrier blocked it from rubbing on the ground. The vehicle was not a phantom but an SUV that lost a device that would warn a deer that a vehicle was approaching so as not to hit the deer so we would also know that the vehicle is from up north. Carol lives in Florida not up north and we don't have deer here and she did not have a device on her car. You are also calling approximately 30 people in a meeting liars because Carol was in the meeting at the time of the accident, with a car in park and locked outside. I also think she will be told she has transmission damage due to her friend smelling smoke on the drive back home from the insurance company. So Dave, we have approximately 30 liars and the other woman in the car with Carol who disagree with a police report. How could Carol be in 2 places at once? I also think a large SUV can jump those small barriers when you put your foot down hard on the gas as if you were putting your foot on the brake hard. How many people a year down here do that and go sailing into stores and through glass. I have seen at least five last year on the news.

UCO President said...

Hi Grace
Jul 5, 2009 9:28:00 PM,

You have some interesting points with one exception; I am not calling anyone a liar.

I am working on the evidence provided in your photographs. As always, additional facts are welcome.

Dave Israel

Anonymous said...

One day, the Pope is visiting America and driving around WPB in his limo when he gets an idea.
"Driver? Can I drive for a while?"
"Sure," says the driver. How can you say no to the Pope? So the Pope takes the wheel and starts driving like a maniac all around WPB -- dodging in and out of traffic, going eighty, cutting people off. Soon, a cop pulls him over. But when the Pope rolls down the window, the cop stops dead in his tracks, and goes back to the car.
"We got somebody really important here," he says to his partner.
"Who is it? Is it a senator?"
"No. More important."
"The president?"
"No. More important."
"An ambassador? Who?"
"I don't know. But the Pope is his driver."

don4060 said...

of course there are deer in florida- there is a deer season. walmart sells that deer whistle, along with deer rifles and florida deer hunting licenses. for hunting deer. sherlock holmes.

Grace said...

Sorry Dave, I was out this morning at 7 to retake pictures before the rain takes away the scrape. When Carol was asked out of the meeting she kept asking if there was a problem with any of her children. Had she known of the accident I think she would have just gone out. She said she was dumbfounded by seeing her car in the middle of the road and then having the deputy and George grilling and accusing her was really difficult for her. I see the parking spots in question and see what is there and it shows me she could not have hit the sign as the rub is the wrong way and the woman in the car with her also claims they just parked and went inside. I think that a SUV went over from the other side and could have underside damage as a small piece of blue cement is missing from the other side and where the blue is chipped is a CLEAN white to show it has not had time to get dirty yet. I find this very upsetting because I feel that somewhere is a vehicle with damage from that accident other than Carol. What I can't believe is that no one seems to have seen anything.

capt john said...
This comment has been removed by the author.