Aplogies to Bette Midler - It must have been cold there on the radar, to never have movement on that space. Some were content to let jets whine o'er runway, some always post a step behind. So we were ones who stuck with the story, And we're all amazed by the thread's length. A whimsical thread about a plane -- for so long, a conveying mile to ground the plane. CHORUS: Did you ever post that plane goes zero, or ev'rything it would take to speed? It can't fly higher than an eagle, 'cause conveyor belt's beneath it's wings. It might have appeared to go - Mythbusters, but it was all so flawed from the start. I want you to know I know the truth, of course I know it, This thread is nothing without you. (CHORUS) Fly, fly, fly away? Could it yet fly so high? Oh, fly, fly? so high against the sky, so high I almost touch the sky? Hell no, hell no, hell no, won't go, the belt beneath it's wings.
The Belt, the Belt, ahh that belt Confusion reigned on high But that won't keep a beautiful wing From touching it's home...the sky. The length of the thread makes some apathetic But not to those who know, That given the wonderous beauty of time it's bound to wax poetic. And when it does, we'll all look back, once the deed is done and ask ourselves, in the still of the night... "Twas it worth it? Was it fun?" The answer to which might fright. But fear is only a witchman's tale won't reach the light of day. We'll know for sure the plane took sail, or else, we're left to pray.
you aren't as smart as I thought you were, but at least you are getting the activity up day after Christmas.
Again, I think the best way to describe it to non-believers is example if the plane was on snow skis, pegs, or even if brakes were on. A little more thrust might be required to overcome the friction, but the treadmill does not keep a plane from moving forward and getting enough wind over the wing for lift.
And in so doing, I'm smarter than I look! Or dumber. Heeeyyyyyyyyyyyyy, wait a minnnnnnutttttte... I'm beholden to strict "yeah, BUT" controlled laboratory-worthy conditions, in which the air is stagnant as in vacuo, so while wheel and surface friction exists to infinity, there is no air friction. It doesn't fly. *Runs*
Does a ski plane on a treadmill not take off? this question is so hard for many people at first because they can't separate the wheels from the problem.
What about a car on a dyno? Why does it not over power the rollers and take off out the front door of the shop, or go through a wall? Is the airplane on a tread mill not the same basic idea? I know the aircraft does not use power at the wheels for forward motion, but if the wheels are what is used to transfer engine thrust to the ground to allow the aircraft to roll forward, why then if the tread mill is basicly acting like the rollers on the dyno, would the aircraft take off?
no no thrust is being transfered "to the ground". It's being transfered to the air above the ground... If you tied one end of a rope around the bumper of a car on a dyno, and the other end to a winch fastened to the floor of the garage, and turned on the winch, the car would be pulled from the dyno.
Original question... The conveyer belt is designed to exactly match the speed of the wheels at any given time, moving in the opposite direction of rotation. There is no wind. Can the plane take off? 1) If you ignore the language used in the question and presume that the wheels can be allowed to rotate faster than the belt then the plane takes off. 2) If you stick rigidly to the meaning of the (very cleverly written) question, then the plane cant move because as soon as it does it breaks the questions limits.
*God not this **** again* *ahem* Here's some basic info about planes. The thrust does NOT go to the wheels. An airplane can take off without wheels, hence seaplanes. The thrust from the engines forces the plane forward due to the laws of thermodynamics. The thrust from the engines causes an equal but opposite reaction, aka the plane moving forward. This is all independant of the wheels. Planes only have wheels because it maks for easier takeoffs and landings. Of course, this doesn't answer how a place could fit on a treadmill
Wax has hinted that this revival of the "Mother of All Time Wasters" was a well-timed activity booster.
The plane DOES fly. The thrust is created from the jets, not the wheels. The treadmill would have no effect. It's just thrown in the equation to create confusion.
Only if its wheels rotate faster than the belts, oops the question says that cant happen... The basic premise of the question is that the wheels have to match the speed of the conveyor. For this to be upheld there can be no external force applied to the plane (i.e. its engine cant provide thrust as doing so would break the rules). With no thrust from the engine the planes wheels won't move which means neither will the belt. The only state where everything matches the questions limits is a stationary plane and stationary belt. As soon as thrust is applied for take-off then the plane will indeed take-off BUT that would then break the limits set out by the question. So, in answer to the question, no the plane won't take-off (given the questions limits).
So you don't think possible the wheels can still be rotating at speed of belt, but skidding to allow forward movement as a plane on skis or floats would move forward? I do agree there are various versions of the question and thus a few versions of the answer, but basic question and answer the wheels have nothing to do with the problem and the plane flies.
This was done on Mythbusters (sorry if that's a repost - I'm NOT going to read 1800 threads to find out!). Plane on LONG 'treadmill' being pulled in opposite direction of running plane configured for take-off. Took off just fine. 'Treadmill' (and therefore the wheels) had absolutely NOTHING to do with it.
