2006-08-31 12:05:03 · 10 answers · asked by aca 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
time zones
2006-08-31 12:06:40 · answer #1 · answered by worldstiti 7 · 0⤊ 4⤋
It's not really. But you're crossing time zones differently.
Example: New York is three hours ahead of California. If you take a four hour flight from CA to NY and it leaves at 3:00, you will arrive in NY at 10:00, because it was already 6:00 in NY when you started. But if you leave NY at 3:00 and fly four hours to CA, then it will be 4:00 in CA when you get there, because it was only 1:00 when you started.
Sometimes the duration of the flight can be different, due to the direction of prevailing winds. This differs depending on what latitude you are flying at - sometimes the winds are mostly moving east, so your flight east is faster. Other times the winds are mostly going west, so a flight going east is slower.
2006-08-31 12:10:20 · answer #2 · answered by J C 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
1. Time zones have nothing to do with the duration of a flight -- they only affect arrival and departure times.
2. Things that affect the travel time (or duration of the flight) are:
prevailing winds, for example, the "jet stream" in the northern hemisphere blows generally west to east so would theoretically speed up an airplane flying in that direction and slow one down going the opposite direction;
rotation of the earth
2006-08-31 12:11:25 · answer #3 · answered by idiot detector 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The duration is longer travelling east to west than travelling west to east because of the prevailing winds.
If you fly from Frankfurt, Germany to Chicago O'Hare, it will take about nine hours; however, if you fly from O'Hare to Frankfurt, it will take about eight hours.
That's because the wind is generally at your back going to Frankfurt, but in your face the other way. Your airspeed is the same, but your ground speed is different.
Ground speed = air speed plus or minus wind (plus if the wind is behind you and minus if the wind is in your face).
2006-08-31 12:10:09 · answer #4 · answered by Steve A 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Only one answer. From West to East you would have drag. Going East to West there would be no drag but on the other side it would not help you either because you would be going faster than the Jet Stream.
2006-08-31 12:39:12 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The jet streams. So going west will be slower than going east.
2006-08-31 13:25:45 · answer #6 · answered by Dr M 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
High winds in the Jet Stream
2006-08-31 12:07:03 · answer #7 · answered by bubsir 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
most of the time flight E to W are against the wind, which slows it down.. the jet stream and most wind patterns are going W to E, so it helps with the speed.
2006-08-31 12:07:14 · answer #8 · answered by Mary 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The prevailing winds are westerly. When your plane is traveling west, the prevailing winds add resistance to the plane's forward movement.
2006-08-31 12:08:39 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hi. Two good answers.
2006-08-31 12:07:41 · answer #10 · answered by Cirric 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋