Is it really true that you cannot fall up?

Childish Daydream August 16, 2019 at 20:33 1350 views 3 comments

I know that the definition for fall is: "‘suddenly go down onto the ground or towards the ground unintentionally or accidentally", but we know where is that "down" thanks to the gravity. Still, if another celestial body with big enough gravity aproaches Earth, wouldn't then be possible to actually fall upward, even if for just a couple of moments before the humanity extinction, making the phrase "to fall down" less of a pleonasm?

Comments (3)

PoeticUniverse August 16, 2019 at 20:46 #316548 0 likes

Quoting Childish Daydream

to actually fall upward

I fell up the stairs of an escalator once, but that probably doesn't count.

Another time, I lay flat on the earth at night, looking up at the stars and pretending that up was down; I had to grab on to the grass to keep myself up.

noAxioms August 16, 2019 at 22:29 #316583 0 likes

Quoting Childish Daydream

Still, if another celestial body with big enough gravity aproaches Earth, wouldn't then be possible to actually fall upward, even if for just a couple of moments before the humanity extinction

Sure. The moon is already trying to do this, and the tides are the result of the water trying to fall up as you say. Pass a mass close enough and it will pull you away, and everything around you as well. Get it close enough and it will pull the nails off your fingers.

Childish Daydream August 17, 2019 at 11:09 #316749 0 likes

Reply to PoeticUniverse If you can really say that is kind of falling up, then it does kind of count : )) I don't remember any such moments in which I could say that I was falling up.