A plane equipped with fixed horizontal engines and wheel landing gear is placed on a huge treadmill runway. The treadmill has a clever design and always matches the speed of the plane, but runs in the opposite direction. Will the plane take off and fly or not?
2007-09-20 11:44:25 · 4 answers · asked by spector_17 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
No, it will not take off.
Planes take off at a given "air speed", not a ground speed. This is because the wind blowing across the wings is what produces the lift to support the plane. How fast the wheels are rolling is meaningless to the amount of lift produced.
2007-09-20 12:00:18 · answer #1 · answered by endo_jo 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
endo_jo is correct but I'll elaborate a little more. Picture the event happening at your local gym. An individual is running on a treadmill. They aren't going anywhere because their relative velocity to the floor and surroundings is zero. They aren't moving at all relative to the surroundings. Now, take them outside and have them run at 100 mph on a treadmill...they're still not going anywhere relative to their surroundings are they. Now replace them with an airplane at full throttle going, let's say 250 knots. Again, same thing, their is no forward motion since the plane is stationary relative to its surroundings so it never gets any wind over the wings to generate lift. This is the same reason, in the Northern hemisphere, trips from the West TO the East take a shorter time than the other way. When going West, planes are heading INTO the the prevailing winds so their ground speed is slower, When traveling Eastward, they have a tail wind so their ground speed is actually faster.
2007-09-20 14:47:44 · answer #2 · answered by cordog 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Snakes or no snakes, the treadmill, runway length, will shop the wheels table sure as much as take-off. that is all. Couple greater reptiles and a fish do no longer influence equation. If via "each and every of the animals", you mean each and every of the animals in the international, the plane does not take off, treadmill insignificant. and important harm to plane (and animals) might take place. I used to would desire to do the tummy rub - head pat factor yet lost prepare.
2016-12-26 20:21:22 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No.
2007-09-20 15:50:01 · answer #4 · answered by gatorbait 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋