A question posed 1

[twobits]

In discussion with others a question was raised.

On a calm day there are two identical trucks pulling identical trailers at a very high rate of speed. They are on the same road and the distance between the two is far enough to not affect each other. If one truck has a far greater mass than the other, is the air turbulence different from one to the other?

Also, if equal acceleration was experienced would the answer be the same?

 

[ccw]

What JStephen said:

If the turbulence included shedding vortices, then the body of the higher mass truck could oscillate slower, so the vortex streets would be different.

 

[rb1957]

but wouldn't "identical" in the OP include ride height, suspension stiffness, mass moment of inertia, the colour of paint, etc ...

the OP aked would the mass of a body affect it's drag. i guess we've identified a bunch of parameters that need to be included under "identical" that are not immediately obvious (ie ride height, roll stiffness and inertia, ...)

 

[KENAT]

rb1957 that's exactly the assumption I'd made when giving my original answer.

Guess that's why at uni they always said to state your assumptions!

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...