True, but "terminal velocity" conveys decently close to the right idea and there isn't any specific word that means the speed at which magnetic force is overcome by centrifugal force. As far as I know, anyway.

Escape velocity ("the lowest velocity that a body must have in order to escape the gravitational attraction of a particular planet or other object") might be arguably closer to the mark, but gravity is not the same as magnetism.

Terminal velocity does not mean what you think it means.

It's the speed that a falling mass achieves equilibrium between the force of gravity and the force of fluidic drag and stops accelerating. It's not the speed required to "terminate" a thing.

Your video, Gravity has No Meaning to these Guys, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

*snort* Once those things roll over and the roof becomes the crumple zone, all bets are off...

Center of gravity folks, learn it, love it!

Gravitational Waves Jam has been added as a related post - related requested by eric3579.

PLUTO MARS - Outbound Probe (A Capella Science) has been added as a related post - related requested by eric3579.

A Capella Science - Puffed Up Cores has been added as a related post - related requested by eric3579.

A Capella Science - Bohemian Gravity! has been added as a related post - related requested by eric3579.

A Capella Science - Rolling in the Higgs has been added as a related post - related requested by eric3579.

Ok Go's New Video Shot In Zero-Gravity has been added as a related post - related requested by oritteropo.

Aw, I was going to post how proud I was of you guys that you didn't point out it was free fall and not actually zero gravity...

You let me down. :*(

Its about as scary as falling off the planet due to gravity disappearing at any instant.

I don't know about the "40% gravity" fail either, considering every film in history that has humans walking around on other planets would fail that one too.
Can we have a curve?

People are stupid and want to be fooled so why would anyone apologize. Employing critical thinking is like fighting gravity, most people take the elevator rather than climb the stairs.

@newtboy ah finally see what you mean. And yes you are right a Coke can would be stable and it could rotate. It is no longer considered a spinning top I think, so that is why the contestants didn't make it that way but for sure it would work.

If the can rotates I think the torque (force due to rotation) is in the same direction as gravity. (Where in the normal spinning top case gravity pulls the cg off center and torque back on.) In the can case both would move the cg back to equilibrium, Ie on center. there would be no precession at all. Every time some small Bump would make the cg move of the center axis it would be pulled back instantly.

I think it would work, and that it would take away the challenge ;-)

As I was clicking on the comment button I was composing in my head almost the same comment. Personally I would give both the storm and the gravity a cheat by necessity. I tried to imagine a different scenario to set up the story but couldn't come up with anything that was as good as the storm.

I do agree with him in that my biggest pet peeve with most s/f movies is the astronauts who are always portrayed (some of them) as weak, cowardly, greedy,arrogant or possessing one of many other character flaws that end up dooming the mission.

@newtboy I think you are right if the spinning top would hang, ie its tip would be inverted (pointing upward, stuck to the plateau in some manner). Any movement away from center for the CG would be pulled back by gravity. No spinning required. However that is not a spinning top but a pendulum. As long as the tip is on top of the ground (pointing down) and not hanging the spinning top will be unstable and the only way to balance the top is to spin it no matter where the CG is.