As you get ready for bed, you roll up one of your socks into a tight ball and toss it into the laundry basket across the room. Then, you try to toss the other sock without rolling it up ... What effects whether or not your socks land in the basket?

Question

Porter Hunter

Physics

9 February, 11:35

As you get ready for bed, you roll up one of your socks into a tight ball and toss it into the laundry basket across the room. Then, you try to toss the other sock without rolling it up ... What effects whether or not your socks land in the basket?

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Answers (1)

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Kash Hess · Answer 1

The drag (air resistance) it experiences along its flight to the basket, due to the shape and surface area of the socks, the size of the sock (weight), and the speed with which the socks is tossed.

Explanation:

The socks, like every other particle or body travelling through air is met by a resistance that impedes its motion. This resistance is due to the air molecules around, that collide with the body as it travels through them. The resistance offered by this force is proportional to the surface area of the body that collides with the air molecule, so, rolling the socks into a ball reduces the effect of air resistance on the socks, compared to the one tossed without rolling. Air resistance is also largely dependent on the relative motion of the body and the air molecules, the density of the fluid (air), and the size of the body (weight).

Therefore, whether the socks lands in the basket or not is affected by the drag (air resistance) it experiences along its flight to the basket, due to the shape and surface area of the socks, size of the socks (weight), and the speed with which the socks is tossed.