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11/5/2013 6:38:15 PM
11
The Airplane-Treadmill problem.
[quote][i]"Imagine an indestructible 747 is sitting on an indestructible conveyor belt, as wide and long as a runway. The conveyor belt is designed to exactly match the speed of the wheels, moving in the opposite direction. Can the plane take off?"[/i]
[/quote]
I still can't decide what the correct answer is to this (if there even is a correct answer).
On one hand the engines will push back the air and thus the plane will move forward and take off.
But on the other hand the conveyor belt will spin at the same speed as the wheels so that the plane can't move forward.
What do you guys think? Will the plane take off or not?
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The wheels will move even if the conveyer belt is going, as the wheels are freely spinning. Really, if the plane is held in place, once the engines start up it will move forward and take off normally. The wheels just spin a bit faster, that's all. Remember, planes can take off on water, without propellers for the water.
