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Title: Brainteaser: There's an airplane on the runway..
Source: Elsewhere
URL Source: http://www.someplaceelse.com
Published: Dec 1, 2005
Author: I have no idea
Post Date: 2005-12-01 01:10:02 by Jhoffa_
Keywords: Brainteaser:, airplane, runway..
Views: 2312
Comments: 202

Imagine a plane is sat on the beginning of a massive conveyor belt/travelator type arrangement, as wide and as long as a runway, and intends to take off. 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?

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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 24.

#2. To: Jhoffa_ (#0)

No.

The plane much reach takeoff "air speed", a certain speed of air flowing over the wings at which lift is generated by the wings. The plane must move forward, relative to the air flow over the wings. Merely rotating the wheels via the conveyer while the plane is otherwise motionless relative to the air won't get it done.

Now, a wind tunnel instead of a conveyor....

Starwind  posted on  2005-12-01   1:16:01 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

True.. can I change my answer ?? :P

Zipporah  posted on  2005-12-01   1:19:31 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

Are you sure you want to?

Jhoffa_  posted on  2005-12-01   1:21:09 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

Are you sure you want to?

LOL! I was wrong.

The conveyer belt is designed to exactly match the speed of the wheels at any given time, moving in the opposite direction of rotation.

That is another way to say, the conveyor moves forward at the exact same speed of the plane, but the wheels never actually rotate.

So the plane would gather speed, the conveyor keeps pace, the wheels never rotate, lift is produced as the air flows over the wings, plane takes off.

See, Zipporah, you were right the first time :)

Starwind  posted on  2005-12-01   1:41:45 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

"That is another way to say, the conveyor moves forward at the exact same speed of the plane, but the wheels never actually rotate."

I believe you misunderstand the 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."

The wheels roll or "rotate" forward as the conveyer belt moves the "opposite direction."

Try to imagine God holding the plane from moving forward and someone turns on the conveyer belt. The wheels spin, the conveyer belt moves along in the opposite direction yet, the plane is stationary. Now, God lets go and the plane, which was at full throttle, starts to push against the air and begins to move forward. It is irrelevant what the tires or the conveyer belt are doing.

wakeup  posted on  2005-12-01   2:34:09 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

#26. To: wakeup (#24)

The wheels roll or "rotate" forward as the conveyer belt moves the "opposite direction."

That's actually a physical impossibility, or at least it would indicate the wheels skidding on the conveyer. The plane moves forward (under its thrust, weight resting on the wheels), but no, the wheels don't rotate because the forward motion of the conveyer (keeping pace with the accelerating plane) negates their rotation.

The wheels can't be in physical contact with the conveyor moving forward while the wheels also rotate opposite - two objects in contact moving in opposite directions with shear forces - the wheels would be "peeling out" like a drag racer. But the wheels aren't driven and they don't need to rotate, since the conveyor is pacing the plane's velocity.

It is irrelevant what the tires or the conveyer belt are doing.

From a standpoint of the plane developing lift on its own, yes. The wheels and conveyer were a "red herring". I missed it earlier.

Starwind  posted on  2005-12-01 02:50:50 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

It is irrelevant what the tires or the conveyer belt are doing.

You might want to rethink that. The key part you are overlooking is highlighted in bold.

"The conveyer belt is designed to exactly match the speed of the wheels at any given time, moving in the opposite direction of rotation."

RickyJ  posted on  2005-12-01 22:24:30 ET  Reply   Untrace   Trace   Private Reply  

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