Physics
Here's a physics question for the audience. Let's see how you do.
A plane wants to take off on a conveyor belt runway. The conveyor has a control system that moves the conveyor at the exact speed as the plane but in the opposite direction, so as the plane moves one direction the conveyor moves the other with equal speed.
Will the plane take off or not?
posted by DC @ 12/06/2006
7 comments
7 Comments:
If the upshot of the conveyor system is that the plane remains stationary, then no, the plane will not be able to get any lift from the wings to allow takeoff.
Well, that's part of the question, right? Does the plane remain stationary?
Have the Myth Busters done this one yet? I believe this jet will take off as scheduled. From what I can tell the forward movement of the plane is not caused by the movement of the wheels as an auto would be, but comes more from the thrust of propellers or jet engine. Please publish the answer in your next post. I have to know.
December 7th - Pearl Harbor Day. Don't forget.
What if the plane got up to a really high speed then suddenly turned around before the conveyor realized it? Then it would be going twice as fast, though in the wrong direction.
Marshall, you're on the money. The plane's thrust comes from pushing against air, not against the ground like a car would. The wheels on a plane just serve to hold it up off the ground. They spin freely, so the conveyor belt going in reverse would just make them spin twice as fast as they normally would. An observer in the control tower would see the plane taking off like normal - just with unusually fast wheel rotation.
Paul, your comment reminds me of the way fighter jets take off from an aircraft carrier. Just shoot'em right off.
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