riddle The Best Way to Explain to Someone How the Plane Takes Off

[iacas]

What's the best way to explain to a moron who doesn't get it WHY the plane is able to take off and WHY it doesn't just sit still?

[Golfingdad]

Perhaps ask them to consider how they think a water plane gets airborne?  

[rkim291968]

Pictures and videos .

[No Mulligans]

To a true moron...

Once they flip the anti-gravity switch the conveyor belt has no effect on the plane.

[Lihu]

IDK,  @JetFan1983 posted a video. Seems pretty compelling to me. . .

and @Golfingdad s video was funny.

 

"Oh that's it, you are dead. . ." In that New York accent. . .  

[LagShaft]

Consider that a Bird in the same circumstance would just have to flap its wings to take off.  Both the bird and the airplane gets its propulsion from something other than what is in contact with the conveyor belt.

Edited October 16, 2015 by LagShaft

[billchao]

Wow that thread seemed like so long ago.

I like @Golfingdad's seaplane answer.

[14ledo81]

What!?!  Who says it would take off???

[phillyk]

Tell them to slightly open a few windows on a very windy day.  Hopefully they won't think it's a ghost closing the door...

[Big Lex]

To keep up with the conveyor belt, the engines have to generate thrust. That thrust will move air over the wings, creating lift. The fact that the plane doesn't change location on the ground does not alter the fact that the engines will be pulling air over the wings. That's the best way I can explain it. 

[Golfingdad]

To keep up with the conveyor belt, the engines have to generate thrust. That thrust will move air over the wings, creating lift. The fact that the plane doesn't change location on the ground does not alter the fact that the engines will be pulling air over the wings. That's the best way I can explain it. 

You might want to read the thread first. ;)

Hint:  the plane absolutely DOES change position - the belt has no bearing whatsoever on the movement of the plane itself (just to how fast the wheels spin - and since they're not driving the plane, it's not relevant) :)

Further, if the plane didn't change position then there would be no air passing the wings unless there was a 200 mph headwind.

[Lihu]

To keep up with the conveyor belt, the engines have to generate thrust. That thrust will move air over the wings, creating lift. The fact that the plane doesn't change location on the ground does not alter the fact that the engines will be pulling air over the wings. That's the best way I can explain it. 

Not exactly, the engines turn the propeller or vanes which creates motion of the plane relative to the air around it. The wheels just spin around underneath the plane. The fact that there is a conveyor belt just means the wheels spin faster.

[Lihu]

A plane is standing on a runway that can move (some sort of conveyor belt). The plane moves in one direction, while the conveyor belt moves in the opposite direction. This conveyor has a control system that tracks the plane's ground speed and tunes the speed of the conveyor to be exactly the same (but in the opposite direction). Can the plane take off?

http://www.animations.physics.unsw.edu.au/jw/plane-conveyor.htm

http://www.mythbusterstheexhibition.com/science-content/science-content-entry-1/

The main thing that really affects liftoff is the speed and direction of the air surrounding the plane, all other effects are secondary. . .just googled this problem to find some sources for you to read.

[David in FL]

 

Not exactly, the engines turn the propeller or vanes which creates motion of the plane relative to the air around it. The wheels just spin around underneath the plane. The fact that there is a conveyor belt just means the wheels spin faster.

This ^^^^^

People get confused because they think that the wheels of the plane propel the plane as if it were a car...

[RandallT]

Was this thread created to demonstrate a new feature of questions and rating answers? I see that I can vote up or down every response.

if I return to this thread again, the responses are ranked in order of rating, not by date (unless I chsnge that). Cool feature!

[iacas]

Was this thread created to demonstrate a new feature of questions and rating answers? I see that I can vote up or down every response.

Yes. There's an official golf-related Q&A forum too.

[JonMA1]

I'll admit it, I'm a moron.

But I have to ask... why does a plane require a long runway? I thought it was to gain ground speed  (creating air speed over the wing) to create the lift. Not doubting for a second how wrong I was, I just want to know why. Is it because it gains air speed gradually and it takes that that much time (and distance) to gain enough for lift?

Feel free to ridicule. My sons, one whom is an engineer and the other a chemist, do so on a regular basis.

[iacas]

I'll admit it, I'm a moron.

But I have to ask... why does a plane require a long runway? I thought it was to gain ground speed  (creating air speed over the wing) to create the lift. Not doubting for a second how wrong I was, I just want to know why. Is it because it gains air speed gradually and it takes that that much time (and distance) to gain enough for lift?

Feel free to ridicule. My sons, one whom is an engineer and the other a chemist, do so on a regular basis.

I'd rather you use the original thread for that. This is a Q&A thread.