Is this really an unanswerable question?

Question

If it is a 50 mph per hour wind and you drive your car at 50mph downwind, if you stick your head outside would you feel the wind?

Answer 1

in the absence of eddy currents. (ie swirling motions) you would not feel the wind. you ONLY feel difference between the velocity of the wind and the velocity of you.

same as inside the car with the windows rolled up. the air travels the same velocity as you do so you don't feel a difference.

if you are standing outside a wind tunnel and you stick your hand in it, you feel the wind. same as traveling 50 mph and sticking your hand outside the window on a calm day.


do you realize that the circumference of the earth is approximately 24,000 miles and it revolves completely around in 24 hours? ie the velocity of the surface of the earth is 1000 mph. so both you and the air are already traveling 1000 mph. do you feel that? no. because relative to your frame of reference you're both traveling the same velocity....


***update***

many of the previous answerers seem to think you would smack into air molecules. that would NOT happen. the air molecules are traveling the same velocity as you. their velocity relative to you is zero. no smack....(ignoring brownian motion effects of course). if you are standing still on a calm day and a breeze comes up behind you do you feel air molecules hitting your face? no. why not? because the velociy of the air is greater than the velocity of you and the air molecules hit you from behind. same with the car. if the car is traveling 50 mph on a calm day, you feel the air molecules hitting you from the front. if the air molecules travel the same speed as you, there's nothing hitting you. if you are driving say 20 mph in a 50 mph tailwind, you feel the wind from behind.

for those of you giving me a thumbs down, well, good luck in life. hey. why not try this experiment. get in your car. roll up the windows and drive 50 mph. do you feel the air molecules hitting your face? remember both you and the air inside the car are traveling 50 mph. right? now roll down the window. stick your hand out. do you feel the wind? why? now at what speed do you not feel the wind?

hey. how about this. you're in your car. windows rolled up. your car is inside a semi truck. the semi is traveling 50 mph relative to the road. so are you. So is the air inside the truck. you roll down the windows. stick out your hand. do you feel wind? no. why not? the air is traveling 50 mph isn't it? you're traveling 50 mph aren't you?

my source is me. chemical engineer. loads of experience in fluid dynamics. loads of high level math/science classes. This is pretty basic stuff.

Answer 2

You would feel wind but not as bad as you would as if you were head on into the wind.
on boats and aircraft you have two factors.
1 Aperant wind: the effect of the movement of the vessel, craft or vehicle in relation to the true wind
2 True Wind: the actual direction and speed of the wind

for example you have a true wind of 50MPH and the vehicle is moving 50 MPH dead into the wind you will have an apperant wind of 100MPH

if you are going dead down wind at 50MPH and the true wind is 50MPH a wind guage should read 0MPH

But because of how the wind reacts to different designs of and shapes of vehicles, craft or vessels there will allways be some movement around it.

Answer 3

You wouldn't feel the wind, per se, but you would feel some effect of smacking into air. Anyway, you never get a steady 50 mph wind even though you could drive at a steady 50 mph.

Answer 4

I assume you are talking about a tail wind which would be coming at the back of your head. Theoretically if all the ambient air surrounding your car were moving in the same direction as the car and both at the same speed, what we might call laminar flow, with no turbulence whatsoever, then you would still feel wind in your face due to the turbulence that would be generated around your head when you first put your head into the airstream.

Answer 5

Only if the wind is sustain 50 mph and that is only possible in a tropical storm

Answer 6

u can get ur car ti drive steadily into 50 but the wind will vary its speed so u d still feel it

Answer 7

yes because you will still feel the wind resistance sticking your head out of the window (you'll feel the air molecules hitting ur face)