There is a giant, 10 mile long stetch of runway with a 747 on the middle of it. The runway, however, is specially designed to move, much in the same way that a treadmill will move, in the opposite direction of the plane. Secondly, the treadmill is attached to a computer which will match the acceleration of the plane exactly and constantly, in the opposite direction.
What is the result of this experiment? Does the plane ever take off?
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Anonymous2006-11-03 0:31
good god, planes take off because of air resistance not because the jets "push" the plane into the air. if there is no wind, the air is "still" in relation to the ground. under normal circumstances the jets will push the plane in relation to the ground, and thus air, in order to create lift on the wings as a result of air resistance. if the plane is not moving in relation to the ground, it therefor is not creating air resistance on the wings. no matter how much thrust you create in the jets the plane will not take off unless its moving in relation to the ground (assuming no wind). this is because the jets on the plane are for all of our purposes parellel to the earth.