2006-08-19 13:34:38 · 14 answers · asked by grn8teen 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
All measurements must be taken under a certain reference frame....some reference which you measure against.
There are no absolute speeds in the universe, so you technically need to specify whether you are measure the speed of the person with respect to the ground below, with respect to the plane, with respect to the sun, .....
That said, what your question is probably getting at is how fast the person is walking with respect to the ground.
Since the plane has some velocity v and the person is walking with some velocity u in the same direction, the over all speed at which the person is traveling with respect to the ground can be found as the sum of v and u.
Speed with respect to the ground (assuming v is the in the direction is u) = v + u
*we assume that neither the plane, nor the person walking, is traveling at any significant percentage of the speed of light so we can use simple galilean relativity to answer the question.
2006-08-19 14:08:01 · answer #1 · answered by mrjeffy321 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You know what..?.. just sitting in your chair staring at your computer screen, you are moving 1040 MPH as the world turns. Add to that the velocity of earth around the sun about 6710 MPH. Add to that the speed of the solar system around the galaxy at about half a million miles an hour. Add to that the speed of the galaxy through the universe at [ERROR: NUMBER OVERFLOW]. Add to that the speed of the plane (assume it's going east). Let's guess it at 420 MPH. Add to that the average speed that a human walks through a plane at 2.8 miles per hour. (Assume they're returning back from the bathroom and are heading toward the nose of the plane).
To answer your question... pretty darn fast!
2006-08-20 00:06:51 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is all relative, and so depending on your frame of reference, any speed from 0 up to (but not including) c (speed of light). Relative to the plane, about 3 mph. To the earth, about 600mph (speed not velocity- ie, agnostic about which direction it is). Relative to the sun, faster than that. etc.
The trick comes when you start to measure the speed relative to an object/frame of reference where the plane is moving at close to c. E.g., if the plane is moving from an object at (c-2mph), and you start walking to the front of the plane at 3mph relative to the plane, you won't be at c+1mph relative to the other object. This is where classical mechanics breaks down and you have to apply relativity. I don't have a great intuitive understanding of this.
2006-08-19 21:05:54 · answer #3 · answered by msringel 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Relative to the earth, you are walking at the speed the plane is traveling, Plus the speed you are walking. (if traveling from back to front of plane). You would subtract the speed your are walking from the speed of the plane if you were walking from front to back of plane.
2006-08-20 00:29:23 · answer #4 · answered by carpediem 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Relative to what?
A brisk walking pace is about 4 mph. Weaving in and around the flight attendants and their carts, I can probably walk 1 mph over the aisle at most.
As one answerer put it, you did say "walk." Any other velocities you might want to throw into the equation are not due to walking.
If your aircraft is going about 600 mph ground speed, you are traveling about 599 mph backward, in the direction of the flight, while you walk forward, towards the restroom, at 1 mph.
2006-08-20 01:35:24 · answer #5 · answered by oldprof 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
relatively at walking pace. You can't count the planes speed, the air speed, the earths rotational speed (in perspective to your direction) or this spiral galaxies speed. Just standing still your going thousands mph. Just like the earlier answers: Everything is relative.
2006-08-19 20:57:38 · answer #6 · answered by baron_von_sky 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In your own frame of reference you are walking at whatever speed you are walking at (1 or 2 mph). In the frame of reference of an outside observer, you are traveling at a speed equal to the speed of the airplane minus the speed you are walking.
2006-08-19 21:23:02 · answer #7 · answered by royalrunner400 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends if you are talking about how fast you are moving in the plane minus the speed of the plane, or your speed plus the speed of the plane. It also depends about the altitude.
2006-08-19 20:45:21 · answer #8 · answered by mattascs 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How fast relative to what? relative the the plane, about 2 miles/hour, relative to the earth, about 400 miles/hour (depending on the plane) relative to Saturn...
2006-08-23 09:00:10 · answer #9 · answered by kemchan2 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Theory of Relativity (heavily layman-ized version): Speed of any object can only be measured relative to another stationary object.
If you take the plane as stationary and you as moving, you are moving as fast as you are walking.
If you take the plane as moving and the Earth as stationary, you are moving pretty fast. :)
2006-08-19 20:46:07 · answer #10 · answered by Kurtosis 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋