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I think the simple answer to the airplane on a treadmill problem is that once you understand what the problem is REALLY saying, the problem becomes uninterestin
by DanielStraight 17y ago
I think the simple answer to the airplane on a treadmill problem is that once you understand what the problem is REALLY saying, the problem becomes uninteresting and trivial. If the problem wasn't intended to give the impression of a stationary (with relation to the surrounding air) plane taking off, no one would've cared in the first place and there would be no discussion. No one is getting confused by math or aerodynamics or physics or anything. They're getting confused by a problem intended to be confusing.
- Retric 17y agoPhysics is not intuitive for most people. The aircraft problem works for the same reason you can yank a table cloth from under a wineglass without knocking it over. But watch someone do that and it will seem like a magic trick. Edit: Perhaps a better explication might be how a tail wind increases a modern cars top speed at almost a 1 to 1 ratio.