If you're flying in a plane at 500 mph,if u jump in the air ,y don't you slam into the rear of the plane?

Answer 1

Are you sure you don't? Have you tried?

(It's a trick question, you DO slam into the back of the plane, that's why you always have to wear your seatbelt! Dozens of people a year are killed trying to get to the bathroom!!)

BTW, it's called INERTIA!!!!

Answer 2

Ronin says that you WILL slam into the back of the plane ... due to INERTIA.

But that isn't correct. Instead, all the other responders are correct.
INERTIA is actually the reason why you DON'T slam into the back of the plane. The nature of inertia is that a body remains at rest or remains in motion, unless a force acts on it. Since you're moving at 500 mph with the plane, inertia will cause you to remain in motion (at 500 mph), since there is no force acting on you. (If you jump up into the freestream air, the force of the air (wind resistance) WILL push you backward. But if you jump inside an enclosed plane that is in steady unaccelerated motion, there will be no force pushing you to the rear.)

Answer 3

Your relative velocity while in the plane is 0, since you are moving along with the plane. If you are riding on top of the plane and jump up, you will fly backward due to the force of air resistance around the plane. While you are in it, all the air and you yourself are all moving at the same speed, so when you move around, there is no special effect.

Answer 4

If the plane is accelerating you might - that's why the seat belt sign is on during takeoff!

But if the plane is flying at a steady speed, you will not feel the motion in any way. You, too, are moving at the same speed as the plane.

The earth is rotates approximately 25,000 miles every 24 hours - if you jump straight up, it does not rotate under you because you too are traveling the same speed.

Answer 5

Because you're moving that fast too, as part of the plane. On a smaller scale think of a car, when you're in it going 60 mph, you aren't really sitting still. If the car suddenly stops (think an accident) you're going to continue moving that fast until you hit something (hopefully your seatbelt).

Answer 6

You are moving at the same speed as the aircraft which is why don't feel the aircraft moving while you are in it. Therefore, if the plane is moving at 500 mph, so are you.

Answer 7

Simple physics. If the aircraft is flying at 500 MPH, then so are you moving at the same speed. Go figure.

Answer 8

I think the human body is not able to take that kind of air resistance. Most likely you do run into something on the plane. Skydiving is always done at a low speed - close to the stall speed.

Answer 9

You are moving at 500 mph too.

Answer 10

momentum and inertia. You cannot jump "backwards" at 500mph to counter the plane's "forward" motion. When you begin you're jump, you already have "forward" velocity--which causes, with your inertia, you to have momentum towards the "forward" direction.