Does it help at all or is it like pulling yourself out of a swamp by your own hair? An explanation and/or reference would be nice.
2007-10-23 04:39:14 · 7 answers · asked by Puppy Zwolle 7 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
No this is not about practical use. Indeed this would be better: "if Popeye was real, had strong lungs enough, would he still be able to move his boat?"
2007-10-23 05:37:15 · update #1
In a practical sense, no, but that's because the amount of force involved in your lungpower isn't enough to move the boat one way or another.
Let's assume you have Superman's lungs (or Popeye's, since he's pulled this stunt in the cartoons). Blowing across a triangular sail in just the right way would actually let it pull the boat forward some, but this would be more than countered by the backwards thrust of your breath, so no good there.
A square sail, however, could actually allow some forward motion. You'd remain fixed in position relative to the sail, your breath would hit the sail and then rebound. So the net result after some turning about would be that air would be forced backwards, and the boat forwards. However, due to turbulence and other effects, it would be far more effective to just face backwards and blow that way.
It's not quite like bootstrapping, but it's not particularly efficient either.
2007-10-23 04:57:21 · answer #1 · answered by Dvandom 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Newton's Third Law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Therefore by blowing on the boat to move forward, there is an equal yet opposite force pushing you backward again!
2007-10-23 04:50:08 · answer #2 · answered by mit 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No help because the same pressure against the sail is pushing you backward and you pull the boat back with you.
2007-10-23 04:45:36 · answer #3 · answered by Renaissance Man 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not unless you've somewhere to stand other than on your boat. Newtonian Law regarding the equal and opposite reaction for every action.
2007-10-23 04:43:44 · answer #4 · answered by omnisource 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Blowing won't help, but on a windless day you can propel a boat somewhat by "ooching"-that is rhythmic rocking. However ooching will get you disqualifed from a race.
2007-10-23 05:18:33 · answer #5 · answered by michinoku2001 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because a fan has the effect of forcing air in one direction, it itself is forced proportionately in the opposite, cancelling any forward movement.
2007-10-23 06:32:22 · answer #6 · answered by Ebby 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no it doent.
because ur reference point is boat. because u r on the boat.
if you r on the ground and trying to blow the boat. then it works. cuz ur ref. point is ground.
2007-10-23 04:45:35 · answer #7 · answered by Bhavin P 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋