Eli5:Why do almost weightless things like leaves move out the way when you try to hit them.?
In: Physics
My Spanish mother told me once “In my country we have a word for air in movement, it is El Viento” and my sister looks at her and says, “yeah we have that too. It’s called wind. “
Your hand or broom or whatever you’re swinging is pushing the air in front of it. That cushion of air pushes against anything else in front of it. If the thing is super light, it won’t take much of that air-cushion to move it out of the way.
Air not empty, its just very thin, and when something is very light it is more easily pushed by air. So when you go to hit something there is a pocket of air being pushed in front of your hand that pushes the leaf.
When you’re moving, you also move air, so there is a cushion as round you and that cushion of air is moving the weightless thing.
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