Quote:
Originally Posted by sgtlethargic
I'm gonna have to think more on this one. At first I thought inertia didn't matter on level ground, but now I'm thinking, "Yeah, air drag force would work against inertia."
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The more weight, the more kinetic energy in the moving body.
This energy has to be dissipated somehow.
Part of it by the air drag.
Mechanical resistance - wheel bearings etc. - and mostly the rolling resistance, which in turn is a factor of weight.
But the effect of mass on kinetic energy in a body (0.5 x mass x speed squared), is far more influential than the effect of weight on rolling resistance.
So the heavy body rolls further than a lighter one - other factors being equal.