Balancing the world inside and out (2)

[netpositive]

The wheel never stops turning, Badger.
-Malcolm Reynolds

So? That only matters to people on the rim.
-The Badger

Ah, but it is out on the rim that
movement most clearly manifests.

In partner dancing, the follower moves more.
Either the lead remains relatively stationary,
or both partners rotate around a central point.

Force = mass * acceleration, right?

For circular motion to occur there must be
a constant force acting on a body, pushing
it toward the center of the circular path.
This is the centripetal (“center-seeking”)
force. For a planet orbiting the sun, this
force is gravitational; for an object twirled
on a string, that force is mechanical; and for
an electron orbiting an atom, it is electrical.

If the earth were not spinning, it would have
permanent light and dark sides like the moon.
And then where would we be? Sitting still?
It is the end of the whip that moves fastest.
"Electricity", "magnetism", "chemistry" are
used metaphorically as well as literally to
describe strong interactions between objects -
or bodies.

The magnitude F of the centripetal force
is equal to the mass m of the body times
its velocity squared v 2 divided by the
radius r of its path: F=mv²/r.

Axles turn in very small circles; it is their
translation into wheels which makes progress.

For some people, the balance is motionless.
And from time to time, yes, I need a center.

But oh, where I fully live
is right out on the rim.
Acted on by the forces.
On the edge, dancing.

Somewhere between the pigeons and the squirrels
I remembered I was alive.

Somewhere between the pavement and the grass
I recollected that it was good to be alive.

And somewhere in that instant between
the touch of your hand on my head and
the touch of your hand near my heart,
I recalled just how good it was.

Comments

[candyguru.livejournal.com]

Hot damn, another Browncoat. I knew I liked you for some reason or other.

Anyway, put down your copy of Bryson's "Short History" and pay attention now, because I'm going to say something important, and it is this:

You comprise one circle. You are the center and the edge, and all things revolve around you. Also, you revolve around other circles (Marc, your cats) at varying orbits, as they do at varying orbits around you. Sometimes they and you are closer, sometimes farther away. Because we are each our own circles, that's just how it is.

Sometimes the center isn't stable, but time usually corrects that. You feel unstable because you're not in as close an orbit to something as you'd like to be.

Shift your orbit. And I'll see you tomorrow.