1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Plane on a Conveyor - IT TOOK OFF!

Discussion in 'General' started by will., 13 Dec 2007.

?

Will the plane fly

  1. Yay

    89 vote(s)
    72.4%
  2. Nay

    34 vote(s)
    27.6%
  1. will.

    will. A motorbike of jealousy!

    Joined:
    2 Mar 2005
    Posts:
    4,461
    Likes Received:
    20
    Last edited: 31 Jan 2008
  2. SanDmaN

    SanDmaN Minimodder

    Joined:
    11 Mar 2004
    Posts:
    364
    Likes Received:
    9
    FINALLY!!!!! A chance to prove to everyone that the damn plane will take off!!!!!
     
  3. chrisb2e9

    chrisb2e9 Dont do that...

    Joined:
    18 Jun 2007
    Posts:
    4,061
    Likes Received:
    46
    I was amazed to see that in the end there are still people who dont think that the plane can take off. but if they have done it, then there will be no denying the proof.

    Only thing that I am worried about is that mythbusters will screw something up, and get the wrong results.
     
  4. crazybob

    crazybob Voice of Reason

    Joined:
    21 Oct 2004
    Posts:
    1,123
    Likes Received:
    6
    It's actually a really simple question with two answers, one more obvious than the other. The obvious answer, to anyone who knows how airplanes work, is that the plane will take off perfectly if the treadmill is matching the speed of the plane.

    The less obvious answer requires a treadmill capable of accelerating indefinitely. If the treadmill is matching the speed of the wheels rather than the fuselage, then the wheels and treadmill will both accelerate at an insane rate and friction in the wheel bearings will prevent the plane from moving relative to the stationary ground. In that case, the plane will not build any airspeed (remember, the wheels are going 10x the speed of light but the fuselage and wings aren't moving) and will not take off. Of course, for a treadmill to be capable of such speeds and accelerations, it would have to be indestructible and either infinitely powerful or massless and frictionless. Because it seems like cheating to apply a normal airplane with all its mass and friction to such a fantastic treadmill, this isn't really an acceptable solution to the problem. It's just something interesting to throw into these discussions.

    Due to the difficulty in sourcing unlimited-speed treadmill components, I assume Mythbusters will prove the airplane can take off. I hope so, but I also know Mythbusters has screwed up similarly obvious problems (setting things on fire using mirrors to concentrate sunlight works just fine, but the first time the Mythbusters tried it they failed).
     
    Last edited: 14 Dec 2007
  5. Clocked

    Clocked Yar! It be drivin' me nuts...

    Joined:
    11 May 2004
    Posts:
    525
    Likes Received:
    2
    Spot on crazybob

    The difficulty I see is with keeping the plane "stationary" I just dont think they can match the speed of the plane with it and if the air isn't going over the wings fast enough there won't be enough lift generated.

    prediction: the plane will just run down the conveyor belt and off the end with the wheels goin mega fast
     
  6. Cabe6403

    Cabe6403 Supreme Commander

    Joined:
    3 Apr 2007
    Posts:
    1,205
    Likes Received:
    44
    Another thing in a similar vein I'd like to see mythbusters do is build some sort of endless slinky machine to try the whole 'slinky + escalator = endless fun' thing.

    Should be interesting either way :)
     
  7. profqwerty

    profqwerty What's a Dremel?

    Joined:
    2 Jan 2006
    Posts:
    1,262
    Likes Received:
    18
    The plane would take off. Unless the conveyor was moving so fast the friction of the wheel bearings provided a force backwards equal to the prop's force forwards, whereupon they'd probably friction weld, jam, and send the plane shooting backwards down the conveyor
     
  8. will.

    will. A motorbike of jealousy!

    Joined:
    2 Mar 2005
    Posts:
    4,461
    Likes Received:
    20
    Remember, not to discuss whether or not it will take off. That one always ends up in someone writing an essay.
     
  9. Ramble

    Ramble Ginger Nut

    Joined:
    5 Dec 2005
    Posts:
    5,596
    Likes Received:
    43
    I'll parrot everyone else.
    Given frictionless wheels the plane will indeed take off. Anyone else here who disagrees is probably an idiot.
     
  10. Jamie

    Jamie ex-Bit-Tech code junkie

    Joined:
    12 Mar 2001
    Posts:
    8,180
    Likes Received:
    54
    It all boils down to the quality of the bearings in the aircrafts wheels.
     
  11. Techno-Dann

    Techno-Dann Disgruntled kumquat

    Joined:
    22 Jan 2005
    Posts:
    1,672
    Likes Received:
    27
    And the exact, precise wording of the question. Unfortunately for such a nifty problem, it very quickly comes down to a tiny little difference - does the belt match the plane's forward velocity, or does it match the wheels' rotational velocity?
     
  12. Veles

    Veles DUR HUR

    Joined:
    18 Nov 2005
    Posts:
    6,188
    Likes Received:
    34
    Wouldn't make any difference because the wheels of the plane don't exert any force on the plane.
     
  13. alastor

    alastor Minimodder

    Joined:
    6 Sep 2004
    Posts:
    3,607
    Likes Received:
    59
    In a perfect world which obviously doesn't exist...

    /hits self for adding to conversation
     
  14. Krikkit

    Krikkit All glory to the hypnotoad! Super Moderator

    Joined:
    21 Jan 2003
    Posts:
    23,925
    Likes Received:
    655
    Jesus Christ. Anyone who even uses 2 brain cells with this problem can see that with standard wheels the plane will definately take off.

    Either way, mythbusters will probably say that it's possible... They often don't explore a myth to its logical conclusion, or use wholly inappropriate tests. (Did anyone see the one where they tried to prove the myth about being sucked down with a sinking ship? The tug boat was the size of a postage stamp...)
     
  15. chrisb2e9

    chrisb2e9 Dont do that...

    Joined:
    18 Jun 2007
    Posts:
    4,061
    Likes Received:
    46
    yeah I didn't like that one too much. although it was funny watching buddy throwup.
     
  16. Poisonous

    Poisonous Incestuious

    Joined:
    18 Apr 2007
    Posts:
    967
    Likes Received:
    0
    Made in Taiwan.

    Need you ask more? Quality.
     
  17. Ramble

    Ramble Ginger Nut

    Joined:
    5 Dec 2005
    Posts:
    5,596
    Likes Received:
    43
    The computer you wrote that on was probably made in Taiwan.
     
  18. Poisonous

    Poisonous Incestuious

    Joined:
    18 Apr 2007
    Posts:
    967
    Likes Received:
    0
    So it MUST overclock to 47GHz right?
     
  19. Moriquendi

    Moriquendi Bit Tech Biker

    Joined:
    3 Nov 2005
    Posts:
    1,691
    Likes Received:
    58
    profqwerty has it right.

    Moriquendi
     
  20. DXR_13KE

    DXR_13KE BananaModder

    Joined:
    14 Sep 2005
    Posts:
    9,139
    Likes Received:
    382
    considering the that the treadmill and the plane are fictitious.... then i think the plane would fly, i say this because if the bearings are perfect and frictionless, the wheels accelerate instantly and the treadmill runs to infinite speed, without the engines providing thrust then the plane would be stationary, the wheels would be spinning at infinite speed but the plane would not budge because there is no friction on the wheels to make it go anywhere, its like trying to walk on the worlds most perfect and frictionless ice sheet.

    considering only the plane real real, as in friction on the wheels, infinite speed on the thread mil.... etc then i think the plane would have more difficulty in taking off, the engines would still have to beat an infinite grow in inertia (in the rotations of the wheels) and the friction on the wheels.

    considering both real.... there would be some difficulty in the beginning... but the thread mil can only go so fast and eventually the plane would fly of easily.

    but that is my 2 cents so no flaming please.....

    edit: cant wait to see how the mith busters will do this
     

Share This Page