mythbusters!
- Thread starter Bolter
- Start date
awk got all excited when i figured out the answer just to find out everyone else had beaten me to it 
Ok lets add this in.
If the doors of the lorry are closed and sealed, while the helicopter is still hovering and the lorry starts to move forward, would the helicopter move forwards with it.
If the doors of the lorry are closed and sealed, while the helicopter is still hovering and the lorry starts to move forward, would the helicopter move forwards with it.
Yeah, because the air the chopper is hovering in is moving forwards. But I don't reckon it'd hover as it did when the truck was stationary, there'd be some trouble due to inertia etc.
But I've been wrong before (see gold board)
Edit: I've been wrong ONCE before.
But I've been wrong before (see gold board)
Edit: I've been wrong ONCE before.
I will add in, I don't know the answer here. Im tring to work it out myself. As cook$ said, the air the chopper is hovering in will be moving, so theoretically the chopper will be hovering in the same still column of air... which is being moved by the lorry.
Otherwise think of it like this. If you were in a sealed lorry at a constant 70mph and the helicopter was on the ground and you made it take off, would the helicopter drift to the back of the lorry. In this situation the chopper would start off witht he forward momentum of the lorry, but once it takes off, with no forward power input, in theory it would slow down from going forwards.... but would it?
Otherwise think of it like this. If you were in a sealed lorry at a constant 70mph and the helicopter was on the ground and you made it take off, would the helicopter drift to the back of the lorry. In this situation the chopper would start off witht he forward momentum of the lorry, but once it takes off, with no forward power input, in theory it would slow down from going forwards.... but would it?
Probably not Bon unless the truck speeds up. As there is no wind, there is no force pushing the helicopter backwards, meaning it will be travelling at a constant force in one direction, with no opposing forces to slow it down.
It doesn't need a constant force to keep the speed the same, it's the acceleration/decelleration forces (such as wind resistance/friction or an engine) which will affect the forwards/backwards speed.
Like i said however, if the truck were to speed up, then the helicopter would begin to move backwards, likewise if it slammed on it's breaks, the helicopter would suddenly jolt forwards through the windshield / guy with the remote control.
It doesn't need a constant force to keep the speed the same, it's the acceleration/decelleration forces (such as wind resistance/friction or an engine) which will affect the forwards/backwards speed.
Like i said however, if the truck were to speed up, then the helicopter would begin to move backwards, likewise if it slammed on it's breaks, the helicopter would suddenly jolt forwards through the windshield / guy with the remote control.
Your own arguement contradicts itself.
As there is no wind, there is no force pushing the helicopter backwards, meaning it will be travelling at a constant force in one direction, with no opposing forces to slow it down.
if the truck were to speed up, then the helicopter would begin to move backwards
Why would the helicopter begin to move, the air inside the truck would speed up or slow down also
the air wouldn't speed up and since the helicopter is static and moving at a constant speed, if the surroundings suddenly move at a higher speed, they'll catch up with the helicopter.
If the truck is travelling at 70mph with the helicopter on the floor, the helicopter would be travelling at 70mph with it and static.
If the truck increased it's speed to 80mph with the helicopter on the floor, the helicopter would increase too.
If the truck increased to 80mph however and the helicopter was in the air, there would be no frictional force from the ground increasing the velocity of the helicopter. Neither would there be an increase in the force being applied to push the helicopter forward to maintain the same speed as it is being suspended in mid air.
So if the helicopter was travelling at 70mpg, took off, and the truck increased to 80mph, the truck would be moving faster than the helicopter surely?
If the truck is travelling at 70mph with the helicopter on the floor, the helicopter would be travelling at 70mph with it and static.
If the truck increased it's speed to 80mph with the helicopter on the floor, the helicopter would increase too.
If the truck increased to 80mph however and the helicopter was in the air, there would be no frictional force from the ground increasing the velocity of the helicopter. Neither would there be an increase in the force being applied to push the helicopter forward to maintain the same speed as it is being suspended in mid air.
So if the helicopter was travelling at 70mpg, took off, and the truck increased to 80mph, the truck would be moving faster than the helicopter surely?
But by that arguement, truck would become a vacume as the air in the truck got forced to one end