Why is is that when you jump up in a speeding train you are not thrown against the back of the carriage?

Question

Why is is that when you jump up in a speeding train you are not thrown against the back of the carriage?

Answer 1

because you are the same speed as the train

Answer 2

In addition to all the above answers, for the same reason that jumping up off the floor , just before impact, in a lift which has broken and is plummeting to the bottom of the shaft will not save your life.

Answer 3

The rest are correct but, they forgot to mention wind resistance. If you jumped up from inside a covered carriage, you would be travelling at the same speed as the train and will not be blown back by the (say 100mph 'slipstream'). However, if you jumped up from behind a protective cover outside (on a flat carriage) into the slipstream, you would hit the carriage behind at about 100 mph. (actually, the carriage behind would hit YOU).

Answer 4

cause the point you jump from (the floor of the train) is moving at the same speed as the walls

Answer 5

When you leave the floor you have the same forward momentum as the train, you are not in the air long enough to decelerate, added to which the air pressure around you also has the same momentum therefore reducing your rate of deceleration even further.

Answer 6

Your mass (body) is going as fast as the mass you're jumping from on the time of the jump. Hence, you're moving forward just as fast as the object that is carrying you. You will lose a slight bit of momentum since when you get clear of the connected force that is pulling the train forward (the locomotive) that force ceases to affect you.

If you were standing on the roof, you would have to overcome wind resistance as well, which would throw you back further, but since you're inside the train, that is not a factor either.

In short, you'd need to be able to jump for much longer than gravity allows before you actually noticed the train pulling away from you.

Answer 7

this is simple. the reason for this is because you are travelling at the same speed as the train so when you jump in the air you don't get thrown to the back. if you was to somehow slow your jump down like a moon jump, you would actually move towards the back but by only a few centimetres as you start to slow down. but an 'earth jump' will make very little difference. the only way you would get splatted to the back is the second you jump the train accelerates to 90mph.

Answer 8

cause your relative velocity with train is 0....means train is stationery with respect to you..

Answer 9

Because you are travelling at the same velocity as the train at the time that you jump!

Answer 10

Because the force of the train hitting you, knocks you down and runs you over! The trains are very heavy!

Answer 11

As most people here have said, your inertia matches that of the train, so when you jump, you're already being catapulted forward by the floor. Luckily landing on the same floor negates any bad effects. Y'know, if you really want that thrown effect, just do what I do, and sit in a big skinheads seat until he comes back.

Answer 12

Because until the moment of the jump you were travelling forward with the speed of the train.

Answer 13

try waiting until the buggers about to crash then jump the moment before impact

SPLAAAAAT

against the front wall