Hypothetical question about centrifugal force

[calbiterol]

A (rather large) space station is floating in Earth orbit, and maintains a 1-g artificial gravity by rotating a cylindrical section of the space station.

 

Sound familiar? The classical sci-fi artificial gravity, using centrifugal force to push objects within to the outside walls of the station, which most of you have heard before. Now, given that hypothetical situation, what would happen if someone were to run in the opposite direction as the rotation? IE, the station is rotating clockwise and the runner is going CCW. Would this lessen the centrifugal force, and therefore the artificial gravity, placed upon the runner?

[swansont]

Yes.

[mezarashi]

The artificial gravity generated by space stations has alot of "flaws". I could imagine stepping on one and feeling completely unnatural. If it is large enough, it would initially feel like Earth, but when you start jumping around and spinning, you'll definitely feel different. Coriolis forces may also come into play. Any gyroscopic motion like spinning a coin for example will not work properly. If you launch something up into the air at just the right angle and speed, it may also just appear to float (until it hits a cieling or something and friction takes it back into course). I guess it's the least we can do however to make ourselves feel at home while in space

[calbiterol]

Well, the purpose isn't so much to feel at home - I think it would be incredibly cool to be in (zero) g, aside from all the nausea and stuff, just because you could... well, float. The purpose of something like this would be to help prevent muscle atrophy. In my mind, at least, that's the main reason for using it.

 

What would happen if you entered the spinning cylinder at its base's centerpoint (the center of the base circle)? Would you just sit there, or would coriolis forces push you to the outside, or would the air currents spin you and (slowly) push you outwards, or what?

[Bettina]

Here is a link about just that.....I always thought that the spinning wheel generating AG would be free and the best way to simulate gravity. I have a giant poster on my wall showing a wheeled space station too. However, after reading this entire article, I think I would probably throw up if I was on it. I always thought it would be easy.

 

http://www.spacefuture.com/archive/artificial_gravity_and_the_architecture_of_orbital_habitats.shtml

 

Bettina

[mezarashi]

Well, the purpose isn't so much to feel at home - I think it would be incredibly cool to be in (zero) g, aside from all the nausea and stuff, just because you could...

 

Well yeah, it would be "cool" the same way a child would feel excited about getting to go on his first roller coaster ride. After a while you would probably be sick of not having any kind of ground reference. Our physique was built for gravity, and so it's kind of "at home" to have it present.

 

What would happen if you entered the spinning cylinder at its base's centerpoint (the center of the base circle)? Would you just sit there, or would coriolis forces push you to the outside, or would the air currents spin you and (slowly) push you outwards, or what?

 

No, just sitting on a spinning body will not make you experience a Coriolis force. You would need to be moving in a direction perpendicular to the instantaneous velocity of the rotation to experience this Coriolis acceleration. The force that will push you outside is the invisible/virtual centrifugal force, not the Coriolis. About the air, I would suppose there would be a difference of air pressure along the plane of rotation of the space station as well, since the air would tend to pile up at the outer perimeter.