"Every Action Has an Equal and Opposite Reaction" - Really??

Are you sure that you understood the law correctly?

Just think over.

When Ronaldo hits a ball, still there is an equal and opposite reaction, but it is the ball which flies away and not Ronaldo.

The ball reacts with the air around too still controlled by the same law, but the air does not zoom past Ronaldo.

The pressure in the well will be decreasing. As liquid rises to the surface, the earth's spin slows down. The effect is so small as to be practically unnoticeable, and will be swamped by other factors; the day length, for example, varies by around +/-10mS because of the direction the winds are blowing.

PWSLACK: You wrote: '.....As liquid rises to the surface, the earth's spin slows down.....'

Are you certain?

Oil and Methane Hydrates are less dense than the sea floor and not too dissimilar in density to the sea water.

Tectonic plates are generally accepted to be 'floating' on what is below. Evidence of this can be seen in land rising when glaciers recede.

It follows that the oil coming out is not leaving a void below, but instead the sea floor is settling down over a very wide area to fill where the oil previously occupied.

The sea water of course fills the slight vacancy left by the sea floor. And the Oil rises to the top of the water and the methane out gasses above that.

So, less dense material moves up and is replaced by more dense material moving down (closer to the center).

Concentrating more mass at the center should have the effect of increasing the rate at which the earth spins.

I agree the effect is practically unnoticeable and swamped by other factors... but I think it should have the opposite effect of what you stated. If you maintain your original position, please share with me your reasoning.

BB B

As the oil continues to float to the surface, Bp's bank account and stock price continue to sink.

.....causing panic among the predominantly-US-based shareholders.....

Equal and opposite? Maybe not....

Just reread your post. Oil is lighter than water, therefore it will go to the surface. The closest analogy I can come up with is this. Action- Expend a bunch of energy punching a hole in a pressurized reservoir of oil. Reaction- Oil punches back. I think you may have almost answered your own question. I'm no expert, but, I'm guessing that the immense weight of the water above the reservoir of oil is a contributing factor to the pressure at which the oil is being released from the hole. The hole is already there. Action-millions of tons of water exerting downward pressure on compromised reservoir of oil. Reaction- Oil gushes from hole. Whether it is equal and opposite, who knows. If for some reason it never gets plugged, it will indeed be equal and opposite.

The law will prevail.

With the oil escaping and spreads over a wider area and the land reside, the centre of gravity of the earth will shift slightly, but it will continue to rotate around its new taxes.

There is a reaction. If you blow up a balloon and release it, the air air shoots out from the mouth and the balloon shoots off in the opposite direction. Likewise the earth is shooting off in the direction opposite to the axis of the spill. The mass of the earth is so large that the effect is immeasurably small.

Bioramani

Can't repeal the laws of physics, son.

I assume you are writing metaphorically. There are millions of instances of equal and opposite forces at play affecting, for example, the turbulent flow of oil into the water.

Metaphorically, has the response been appropriate to the hazard? No. BP has consistently dropped the ball, with a reaction not close to appropriate to the action.

Thanks for the metaphorical insight as a bonus.

Does the law mean F (ACTION) = - F (REACTION) ??

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(EQUAL) (OPPOSITE)

It is there.. but like a fart in a hurricane...