Who would win in a race?

Question

If an airplane were traveling 65 in the air at 20,000 feet, would it beat a car traveling the same speed?

To rephrase my question... if I could fly, and I was 100 feet in the air, and my friend was on the ground. If we both took one equal step, who would have travelled a farther distance? me (since i'm high in the air) or did we both travel the same distance???

thanks for helping me,
if you could explain the physics behind this too that would be great!

Answer 1

The same distance.

If a plane could somehow mark a stable spot in the atmosphere and go 10 feet, it's 10 feet no matter what. Same for a person on the ground.

You might be a little confused by the fact that a revolution of a round object has different distance and speed depending on how far away from the center you are. If you wait one minute while stationary on the ground versus in the air, you will have gone further in the air because of this phenomena.

For example, the top of a radio tower travels farther than the base does in a 24 hour period.

2 poles in the ground 10 feet apart would be further apart at the top if they were 1,000 feet tall (for example). Not sure how much further, but it's a small amount, perhaps a few inches or less.

All that said, if you were racing a far distance and basing the distance as being over a certain point on the ground, the plane would lose because it has farther to go. Phew! I hope that all makes sense. That's different from taking a step in the air and one on the ground.

Answer 2

This isn't a physics question, this is more of a math question. And you're asking two different questions.

First, the airplane: It depends where the marker was -- whether it was on the ground or in the sky. If the marker were on earth, the car would win, because the airplane 20,000 feet up would have to travel a longer distance because it needs to follow the curvature of the earth.

Second, you and your friend: You both traveled the same distance. Distance is a measurement of length that is independent of any outside factors that the first situation presented.

Answer 3

OK it depends on which direction you are going. The earth's rotation is west to east.

If you were floating in the air with no east or west movement and another was standing still on the earth. the person on the earth would be moving east relative to your position.

If you were heading east (in air at the same roataional speed)and the other were standing still you two would both be maintaining the same position.

If you were both heading west at the same rate of speed you (sir person) would travel at your rate of speed plus the rotational speed.

Let us say the rotational speed (R) is 100mph (it is actually much faster but lets keep it simple)

If Air person (AP) is stationary 0 speed and LAnd person(LP) is stationary then in 1 hour LP will be 100 miles east of AP.

AP = 0
LP = 0+R

IF AP is heading east at R speed and LP is stationary then you will maintain

AP= R
LP = R

If LP is heading west at 50 mph
and AP is heading west at 50mph then in 1 hour AP will have travelled 150 miles

AP = 50 +R
LP = R -50

Answer 4

What you probably need to know is air resistance. When you are running on the ground you have to overcome air resistance so you need to exert more force. But as you go higher the air become higher and if you were flying the resistance due to air would be much less and you will be able to travel faster.

Answer 5

Actually they both travel the same distance. But the displacements wouldn't be the same.

Distance is a scalar, displacement is a vector.