4cornishchoughs ([info]4cornishchoughs) wrote,
@ 2006-01-09 19:32:00
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Current mood: bouncy
Current music:Blank and Jones - The Mix Vol. 3

... a brain teaser...
Ok,
This appeared in a technical journal awhile back, and many folks had a bit of fun with it. I'm going to reask an expanded version of the question here. Larry, you should like this one in particular.

There is a jet airplane on a specially built conveyor belt that is the size and length of a runway. The conveyor is controlled by a computer so that what ever motion the plane may have forward, the conveyor will move in the opposite direction at exactly the same speed.
The pilot gets inside the plane and tries to make a standard checklist takeoff.

1) Does the plane take off? Yes or No.

2) Why or why not?

3) What part(s) if any of the plane/conveyor would be most likely to be damaged/fail first?

4) Why?

I'm interseted in seeing if people have as much fun with this question as the people who discussed the answer the first time did!
Please post your answers here as comments!
Feel free to pass it on!

Carl




(2 comments) - (Post a new comment)

plane on conveyor belt
(Anonymous)
2006-07-21 07:04 pm UTC (link)
Since a plane generates lift by air flowing over the wings, and this plane will actually be standing still, it will never take off. I would think that eventually the tires would explode, dropping the struts into the belt and destroying it.

(Reply to this)

plane
(Anonymous)
2006-07-22 04:38 pm UTC (link)
The plane with take off normally. Only thing is the tires will spin at a great speed before it leaves the ground.

(Reply to this)


(2 comments) - (Post a new comment)

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