The gravity of the situation

Atomic Beltway Could Solve Problems of Cosmic Gravity

"This artist’s conception imagines the proposed ring of atoms as cars on a beltway. Captured and then stirred into motion by lasers, the atoms would form a "superposition", a quantum state in which they would be simultaneously circulating around the ring and stationary. This state could allow scientists to measure motion precisely, and also potentially the effects of gravity at micrometer length scales."

Physicists seem to like comparing gravity and traffic flow. Coincidence? I guess not.

 

Those trade-offs in road construction have been known to contribute to numerous accidents.

"Approximately one-third of motor vehicle traffic crashes have road geometry and
roadway infrastructure as a contributing factor . . ."

"Crash data for the most recent 5-year interval indicate that about 1/2 of serious injury accidents for motorists involve run-off collisions with fixed objects including ditches, trees, and utility poles . . ."

 

I have to wonder though, if the electromagnetic force is a trillion trillion trillion times stronger than the gravitational force, and tires generate friction, which is electromagnetic, perhaps this explains a stronger physical attraction.

How does the magnetic field get induced in car's tire?
"Tyres are made up of rubber. Rubber is an insulating material. During the movement of your car, the tyres get charged due to friction between the tyres and the ground. This causes your tyre to attract other charged materials or even nuetral materials."

"All forces in nature may be classified into four types. The gravitational force holds together the universe at large, plus the atmosphere, water, and us to the planet Earth. The electromagnetic force governs atomic level phenomena, binding electrons to atoms, and atoms to one another to form molecules and compounds. The strong nuclear force holds the nucleus together. The fourth force, the weak nuclear force, is responsible for certain types of nuclear reactions and has little bearing on energy sources today... Every force that we experience belongs to one of these four categories, even when the connection is hard to see. The force of friction, for example, is an electromagnetic force . . ."

There might also be a greater gravitational force inside of tires, because they are spinning, which could likewise magnify the attractive effect of moving vehicles. "Artificial gravity (sometimes referred to as pseudogravity) is the creation of an inertial force that mimics the effects of a gravitational force, usually by rotation." Keeping in mind that gravity (i.e., attraction) is transmitted at the speed of light... who knows (things that make you go hmm).

"It's a fact of physics that has confounded tire makers for years: Spinning bodies gain more weight while they're spinning. So how do you make a tire durable enough to withstand extreme speeds when the tire itself is getting heavier the faster the car moves . . ."

"Gravitomagnetism is a widely used term referring specifically to the kinetic effects of gravity, in analogy to the magnetic effects of moving electric charge... According to general relativity, the gravitational field produced by a rotating object (or any rotating mass–energy) can, in a particular limiting case, be described by equations that have the same form as in classical electromagnetism."

I imagine these altered states could affect those rat racing speed demons (hypothetically) who slow down to form traffic around a slower moving truck, as if they were physically attracted to it (even to match my reduced speed on an acceleration ramp, for example). Because, otherwise, they should be trying to get somewhere faster, like firey devils (you'd think). No, I don't think everyone's a speed demon (only in the Twilight Zone-ish hell realm of this boring question). Why can't things just go by the numbers? Or was that the problem... trucks have more tires.

 

Traffic jams defy physics...
"Traffic jams may appear to form for no apparent reason, but recent research suggests that traffic flow can be described by the laws of physics. German researchers have shown that traffic flow shows distinct phase transitions, analogous to the changes between states of matter. The equivalent of gases, liquids and solids are free traffic flow, synchronized flow and a traffic jam."

Physical mechanism of the formation of a jam...
"In the 1990s, a new physical concept was introduced into research on traffic flow. That is, traffic flow is investigated as a dynamical phenomenon of a many-particle system. In general, such a system drastically changes its macroscopic aspect owing to the effect of the collective motion of interacting particles. Such phenomena are observed in several fields in physics. The characteristic features of collective phenomena are phase transition, bifurcation of a dynamical system, pattern formation, etc."

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"We have performed an experiment on a circuit to show the emergence of a jam with no bottleneck. In the initial condition, all the vehicles are moving, homogeneously distributed on the circular road, with the same velocity. The average density of the vehicles is prepared for the onset of the instability. Even a tiny fluctuation grows larger and then the homogeneous movement cannot be maintained. Finally, a jam cluster appears and propagates backward like a solitary wave with the same speed as that of a jam cluster on a highway."

"We have shown that the emergence of a traffic jam really occurs in the absence of a bottleneck... In conclusion, jam formation is an effect of the collective motion in the physics of a non-equilibrium phase transition of a many-particle system. The emergence of a jam with no bottleneck provides proof of the essential mechanism of the formation of a jam."

Related content:

• Quantitative explanation of circuit experiments and real traffic...
• Characterizing and distinguishing free and jammed traffic flows...
• Traffic jams induced by rare switching events in two-lane transport...
• Metastability in the formation of an experimental traffic jam...
• Phase transition in traffic jam experiment on a circuit...
• Percolation properties in a traffic model...
• Vehicular headways and their clusters...
• The physics of traffic jams...

"In general, such a system drastically changes its macroscopic aspect owing to the effect of the collective motion of interacting particles... Even a tiny fluctuation grows larger and then the homogeneous movement cannot be maintained... Such phenomena are observed in several fields in physics." I haven't read all that much on the subject, but this reminds me of the butterfly effect (along with positive feedback, chain reactions, and multiple-vehicle collisions).

But I digress.

"Since the subject of traffic dynamics has captured the interest of physicists, many surprising effects have been revealed and explained. Some of the questions now understood are the following: Why are vehicles sometimes stopped by “phantom traffic jams” even though drivers all like to drive fast? What are the mechanisms behind stop-and-go traffic? Why are there several different kinds of congestion, and how are they related? Why do most traffic jams occur considerably before the road capacity is reached? Can a temporary reduction in the volume of traffic cause a lasting traffic jam? Under which conditions can speed limits speed up traffic? Why do pedestrians moving in opposite directions normally organize into lanes, while similar systems “freeze by heating”? All of these questions have been answered . . ."

Some of the research involves a "socio-physical" traffic model too. Although I suppose the fact that vehicles are being automated in this day and age means that driving can be totally dependent upon physics (accounting for the forces of nature and such, whether or not it is entirely practical). It plays out in a physical way, regardless, so yeah.

 

Here are some infographics, by the way.

A Massive Size Difference

• Trucks are often 20 to 30 times heavier than passenger vehicles.
• The huge mass of a truck or bus increases the risk of more severe crash damage, injuries and fatalities.
• Large size and weight increases driving challenges, including acceleration, braking and handling (maneuverability).
• Trucks and buses accelerate more slowly uphill and may gain speed quickly downhill.

Long Stopping Distances

• The stopping time and distance for a truck or bus is much greater than that of smaller vehicles.
• Stopping distance increases with a heavy load or in road conditions such as snow, ice or rain.
• A fully loaded truck traveling in good road conditions at highway speeds needs a distance of nearly two football fields to stop.
• Never suddenly cut in front of a truck as it reduces the truck's allowable safe stopping distance.

The Top 10 Factors Contributing to Truck-Passenger Vehicle Accidents:
(1) Interruption of traffic flow...

 

This natural phenomenon has a push and pull to it also: Aerodynamic Buffeting of Adjacent Vehicles.

Likewise, gravity waves have caused strong winds. Inertial waves occur in the slosh dynamics of tankers, as well:

"Sloshing or shifting cargo, water ballast, or other liquid (e.g., from leaks or fire fighting) can cause disastrous capsizing in ships due to free surface effect; this can also affect trucks and aircraft."

 

Glad you're okay, with that.