40 floors come crashing down. Does that mass at that acceleration have enough force to crush the one floor below it? Keep asking that all the way down.
For every floor that is crushed below, one is crushed above. 40 floors above cannot crush 40 stronger floors below without additional help.
Please explain why Newton’s third law ceases to exist in your example. Why does the top portion stay intact while the stronger bottom portion is vaporized.
[–] ScannerDarkly ago
For every floor that is crushed below, one is crushed above. 40 floors above cannot crush 40 stronger floors below without additional help.
Please explain why Newton’s third law ceases to exist in your example. Why does the top portion stay intact while the stronger bottom portion is vaporized.
[–] Butterbread ago
It did not stay intact. The additional help is the force of gravity, plus the growing mass of the collapsed floors.