Reasonable Values

Use the tables below to determine if your values are reasonable.  The tables are Adapted from “The Magnitudes of Physics”— The Physics Teacher, 1996

Velocity    Acceleration     Force    Energy

 Velocity:

Velocity of …

Miles/ hour

Meters/second

Brisk Walking Pace

3.75 mi/hr

1.67 m/s

Cheetah in a Hurry

60 mi/hr

27 m/s

Sound at sea level, 20 degrees Celsius

758 mi/hr

339 m/s

Bullet from an M16 rifle

2250 mi/hr

1006 m/s

Electromagnetic waves (light is a type of EM wave) in a vacuum (nothingness); this is the fastest anything can travel

671,000,000 mi/hr =

6.71  x 108 mi/hr

300,000,000 m/s =

3.0 x 108 m/s

Conversions:  mi/hour   x 1609 m/ mi x 3600 s/hour = m/s

For more velocities click here

 Acceleration:

Acceleration of…

Ft/s2

m/s2

An object where the sum of the forces on the object equals zero

0

0 m/s2

Object dropped near the surface of the earth at 0 latitude

 

9.78039 m/s2

 

Object dropped near the surface of the earth at 90 latitude

 

9.83217 m/s2

Object dropped near the surface of the earth – average (mean)

32 ft/s2

9.8067 m/s2

Acceleration that causes “blackout” in a few seconds

230 ft/s2

70 m/s2

Seat ejected from jet

490 ft/s2

150 m/s2

Object dropped near the surface of the sun

880 ft/s2

270 m/s2

Auto crashed from 60 mi/hour into a fixed barrier (very short stopping time- no bounce)

3300 ft/s2

1000 m/s2

Proton in proton accelerator at Ferilab (outside of Chicago)

2.9 x 10 14 ft/s2 =290,000,000,000,000 ft/s2

90,000,000,000,000 m/s2 =  9 x 1013 m/s2

Forces:

Force of…

Pounds

Newtons

Proton on Electron /and Electron on Proton in Hydrogen atom (electromagnetic force)

1.7 x 10 –8  Pounds = .000000017 pounds

8 x 10 –8 Newtons = .00000008 Newtons

Earth on a Nickel /Nickel on the earth – (Gravitational force)

.011 Pounds

.051 Newtons

Earth on a Man /Man on the Earth- (Gravitational force)

160 Pounds

730 Newtons

Between Protons in a nucleus (Strong force)

2200 Pounds

10,000 Newtons

An automobile making a reasonable stop – Tires on Ground/ Ground on Tires (Static Frictional force)

2200 Pounds

10,000 Newtons

747 Jet Engines getting jet up to speed – Engines on Air/ Air on Engines (Normal Force)

170,000 pounds

770,000 Newtons

Earth on the Moon/ and Moon on the Earth- (Gravitational force)

4.5 x 1019 Pounds=

45,000,000,000,000,000,000 Pounds

2 x 1020 Newtons=

200,000,000,000,000,000,000 Newtons

  Energy:

Energy of…

Kilocalories (Food Calories)

Joules

Metabolization of an apple

100 Kilocalories

460,000 Joules

All the Fossil fuels on Earth

4.8 x 10 19  = 48,000,000,000,000,000,000

Kilocalories

200,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 = 2 x 10 23 Joules

Hiroshima size Atomic Bomb

1.0   x 10 12 =

1,000,000,000,000

Kilocalories

4,200,000,000,000,000 =

 4.2 x 10 15 Joules

Lightning flash

240,000 Kilocalories

1,000,000,000 = 1 x 10 9 Joules

One push up (done by average size man)

.071 Kilocalories

300 Joules

Stored in a Flashlight battery

1.7 Kilocalories

7000 Joules

Gravitational Potential Energy of a 747 at 30,000 feet

4,800,000 Kilocalories

20,000,000,000 =

2 x 10 10 Joules

 

Kinetic Energy of a Rifle Bullet

 

9.6 Kilocalories

 

40,000 Joules

Kinetic Energy of a Walking man

.014 Kilocalories

60J

Kinetic Energy of a running man

.96 Kilocalories

4000 J