Plane Puzzle

Machiavelli · Post by **Machiavelli** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 7:43 am

Who told you that?

b-b5 · Post by **b-b5** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 8:05 am

why would a plane stand still on a treadmill?

Machiavelli · Post by **Machiavelli** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 8:09 am

Because the treadmill is going just as fast as the plane, so the plane will stay in the same spot.

b-b5 · Post by **b-b5** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 8:10 am

I would agree if we were talking about a car

Machiavelli · Post by **Machiavelli** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 8:11 am

Cars dont take off

b-b5 · Post by **b-b5** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 8:16 am

Machiavelli wrote:Cars dont take off

They do sometimes

Machiavelli · Post by **Machiavelli** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 8:22 am

Never successfully

b-b5 · Post by **b-b5** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 8:24 am

well technically the flying bit is successful, its the landing thats a bit dodgy

sully800 · Post by **sully800** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 9:24 pm

Man, no one is arguing that the plane will be able to take off, yet 7 people have voted for that option!

Of course the plane will be able to take off. I am not saying it will generate lift without moving....the plane will move forward and take off normally despite being on the treadmill.

sully800 · Post by **sully800** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 2:54 pm

Bump.

Since the probability puzzle created some heated debates, I wanted to raise this question from the dead, because I have seen people argue about it for 100's of posts.

I am confident that the plane can take off, and b-b5 is correct

everywhere116 · Post by **everywhere116** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 9:13 pm

The plane on most circumstances cannot take off, unless the wind is going 300 mph against the direction of the plane

Kokunai · Post by **Kokunai** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 12:59 pm

Because the plane is not moving in space air cannot be passing over the wings enough to give the plane enough lift to take off...Why is this even a question?

Hoff · Post by **Hoff** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 1:25 pm

sully please tell us why it will take off?

sully800 · Post by **sully800** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 1:47 pm

haha! I'm glad to see the resurrection of this thread.

Well hoff, I ask you this- what is to prevent the plane from taking off?

spiesr · Post by **spiesr** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 1:52 pm

It can't take off because it is not moving fast enough in relation to the air around it. It's only moving in relation to the treadmill track.

Hoff · Post by **Hoff** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 1:52 pm

unless if there is a crazy amount of wind. The plane is moving 0 mph and thus getting no lift to force the plane to take off. So i ask you, how can it lift off?

DAZMCFC · Post by **DAZMCFC** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 6:37 pm

a harrier jump jet can take off vertically so it does not matter what speed the tread mill is going it could take off anyway

hawkeye · Post by **hawkeye** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 6:48 pm

But is that what were talking about?

sully800 · Post by **sully800** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 7:40 pm

Hoff wrote:unless if there is a crazy amount of wind. The plane is moving 0 mph and thus getting no lift to force the plane to take off. So i ask you, how can it lift off?

But why is the plane not moving forward? The treadmill goes backward just as fast as the plane would normally move forward...but does that hold it in place? Nope! And that is the part that most people miss when they first read the puzzle.

A planes wheels spin freely....the plane does not move forward by rotating its wheels, and similarly the treadmill cannot move the plane backward by moving its wheels.

So the plane would move forward at say, 150mph....the treadmill would move backward at 150mph. This would cause the wheels to spin twice as fast as normal, in this case 300 mph. But the plane would still be able to move forward and take off normally.

sully800 · Post by **sully800** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 1:24 pm

Myth Busted!

A plane can take off on a treadmill with no problems.

Episode 97 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBuster ... veyor_Belt[/u]

Neoteny · Post by **Neoteny** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 1:35 pm

sully800 wrote:Myth Busted!

A plane can take off on a treadmill with no problems.

Episode 97 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBuster ... veyor_Belt[/u]

Interesting. I can't quite visualize it, but it sounds good when I read it. I'll have to try to catch that episode.

dustn64 · Post by **dustn64** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 5:44 pm

Mythbusters save the day.

SolidLuigi · Post by **SolidLuigi** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 8:30 pm

YOU GOT ME. I was thinking in terms of a cars wheels making it move instead of a jets engines doing the pushing. Good one, I'll have to remember that

ParadiceCity9 · Post by **ParadiceCity9** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 8:35 pm

How much does the plane weigh?

C4 · Post by C4 » Wed Feb 06, 2008 8:35 pm

It won't take off because the air movement around it remains the same. It's the difference in air speed between the top and bottom of the wings that provide lift

Plane Puzzle

Will the plane take off?