[color=#006600][/color] You probably must have heard that the shortest distance between two points, say point A and point B, is a straight line, well its time to burst those illusions. The cliche, all things being equal is always applied only in an ideal situation, but some certain things shouldn't follow that principle of all things being equal. Look at it this way, the first man to break the sound barrier didn't attempt doing it on a horizontal plane, instead when he reached a certain height he turned it upside down, after that all hell was let loose and the extra thrust brought about by the pull of gravity ensured that he broke the speed barrier. Same thing applicable in this scenario of shortest distance, take for instance, if two boys A and B, of similar magnitude and capability (*no pun intended*) move from a point C to a point D, Boy A follows a straight line while Boy B follows a parabola with the same initial velocity, the odds are in the favour of the boy B reaching the final point earlier, simple because of one factor, the pull of gravity. "All things being equal" I think, should remain a cliche. AJAH ELIEZER.

lagrangea:
[color=#006600][/color] You probably must have heard that the shortest distance between two points, say point A and point B, is a straight line, well its time to burst those illusions. The cliche, all things being equal is always applied only in an ideal situation, but some certain things shouldn't follow that principle of all things being equal. Look at it this way, the first man to break the sound barrier didn't attempt doing it on a horizontal plane, instead when he reached a certain height he turned it upside down, after that all hell was let loose and the extra thrust brought about by the pull of gravity ensured that he broke the speed barrier. Same thing applicable in this scenario of shortest distance, take for instance, if two boys A and B, of similar magnitude and capability (*no pun intended*) move from a point C to a point D, Boy A follows a straight line while Boy B follows a parabola with the same initial velocity, the odds are in the favour of the boy B reaching the final point earlier, simple because of one factor, the pull of gravity. "All things being equal" I think, should remain a cliche. AJAH ELIEZER.

make i no lie, i no understand am @ all!!

No reasonable point, following a parabola and cutting through to make a straight line which one is shorter? My dear the shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line

Ezedon:
No reasonable point, following a parabola and cutting through to make a straight line which one is shorter? My dear the shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line

GBAM!!! Nothing more to be said

if its about distance, then a straight line would be the shortest, but i don't think that's what you actually mean since you included the initial velocity parameter. So, it's not about the distance between the points, but the TIME it will take from one point to the other. Based on this assumption, gravity will only help boy B when he is moving from the apex of the parabola to point D. please do not forget that, while he is moving from point C to the apex of the parabola, he will have to put more energy, to defeat the force of gravity, and that invariably means more time.

we could argue that both ETAs "COULD" be the same, but that would require a clear scientific experiment.
my 1 kobo

destino24:
if its about distance, then a straight line would be the shortest, but i don't think that's what you actually mean since you included the initial velocity parameter. So, it's not about the distance between the points, but the TIME it will take from one point to the other. Based on this assumption, gravity will only help boy B when he is moving from the apex of the parabola to point D. please do not forget that, while he is moving from point C to the apex of the parabola, he will have to put more energy, to defeat the force of gravity, and that invariably means more time.

we could argue that both ETAs "COULD" be the same, but that would require a clear scientific experiment.
my 1 kobo

Thank you very much, but what I really think should be taken into consideration isn't all things being equal but all things being done, it doesnt mean more time as the force of gravity invariably brings him down, obviously with a thud.

Aizebioje:

GBAM!!! Nothing more to be said

hahaha, Ignorance, they say, is bliss!

lagrangea:

Thank you very much, but what I really think should be taken into consideration isn't all things being equal but all things being done, it doesnt mean more time as the force of gravity invariably brings him down, obviously with a thud.

distance in this case also means lenght ,the straight line will the shorter length but the parabola will have the shorter time.