COULD A PLANE TAKE OFF FROM A CONVEYER BELT? - PLEASE READ

[dcc]

If you put a plane on a conveyor belt, would it be possible for the plane to take off?

Assuming the belt could move as fast as necessary to keep up with the speed of the plane.

[dcc]

And go....


(I want to get some discussion happening here, I don't know what is right, and its a pretty difficult question to just say 'yes' or 'no', so please, just post your ideas here!)

[dcc]

For clarification, we're talking LARGE PLANE, for example, a 747.

[MattPritchard]

Are the plane and the conveyor belt moving in the same direction or opposite directions (stationary plane if same speeds)?

[Over9000]

Im thinking that it wouldnt be able to take off, coz it wouldnt gain any forward momentum, the conveyer belt would be negating a build up of speed by the plane as it adjustingly speeds up according to the planes speed.
So my answer is no, not completely sure tho

[AppleXY]

Haha, it could imo. If the plane was taking off at a reasonable speed then it could hm.

[dcc]

The conveyor belt moves in the opposite direction the plane.  This is, if the plane is moving at say 3 m/s, then the conveyor belt is moving in 3 m/s in the other direction.  In effect, the plane will not move, but it will be rolling against the conveyor belt.

It is my opinion that the plane WOULD in fact take off.  The plane is moving at a fast speed, its just like a normal take-off, so it would take off, right?

[shinny]

FORCE DIAGRAM KGO.
I only did spesh so pfft, I'm not even going to bother trying to work this out and just take a guess at that it can't for pretty much same reasons as Over9000 stated. Lack of net momentum seems like justification enough, but I can kind of see in my mind how the converse could possibly work (although I can't really explain it, I'm not a physics person)

BRING IN THE MARSHMALLOW AEROSPACE POWAR

[enwiabe]

If you put a plane on a conveyor belt, would it be possible for the plane to take off?

Assuming the belt could move as fast as necessary to keep up with the speed of the plane.

Yes. With significant thrust vectoring, the plane would simply take off with no need to build up any runway speed

Of course, a boeing 747 would not have this capability as its moment of inertia is far too cumbersome to facilitate the thrust vectoring process in *this* scenario.

But yes, to answer your exact question, 'COULD A PLANE TAKE OFF FROM A CONVEYOR BELT'. Yes, *a* plane could. But probably not a 747.

[Cthulhu]

For the plane to take off but if then it wouldn't take off or would it...? FIND OUT IN MY NEXT POST ABOUT THIS TOMORROW. If it hasn't already been solved by then.
That's not even my answer. That's just to get the ball rolling.

Are the plane and the conveyor belt moving in the same direction or opposite directions (stationary plane if same speeds)?

This is one of those well known physics problems and it's usually a plane on a [very large] treadmill so it's moving in the opposite direction.

[Edmund]

<edmund372> yes it will if same direction
<edmund372> i think
<edmund372> it will move faster relative to ground
<edmund372> greater v
<edmund372> gain enough momentum
<edmund372> lololol
<edmund372> hhahahahha
<robbo> post edmund372
<Glockmeister> lol
<robbo> post
<robbo> just post it
<robbo> i dont care if its wrong
<robbo> and you know its wrong
<robbo> post it anyway

Are you happy now

[dcc]

FORCE DIAGRAM KGO.
I only did spesh so pfft, I'm not even going to bother trying to work this out and just take a guess at that it can't for pretty much same reasons as Over9000 stated. Lack of net momentum seems like justification enough, but I can kind of see in my mind how the converse could possibly work (although I can't really explain it, I'm not a physics person)

BRING IN THE MARSHMALLOW AEROSPACE POWAR

Momentum is defined as velocity multiplied by mass.  The plane is moving, quite fast (as you would expect, on a runway), so why couldn't it take off?

[shinny]

I thought velocity was 0 since the conveyor belt was moving at an equal speed but opposite direction to the plane (hence no net movement)? It's just like a person on a treadmill isn't it? They can run for an hour but their displacement hasn't changed (i.e. 0), so their velocity (displacement/time) should be 0.

[dcc]

If you put a plane on a conveyor belt, would it be possible for the plane to take off?

Assuming the belt could move as fast as necessary to keep up with the speed of the plane.

Yes. With significant thrust vectoring, the plane would simply take off with no need to build up any runway speed

Of course, a boeing 747 would not have this capability as its moment of inertia is far too cumbersome to facilitate the thrust vectoring process in *this* scenario.

But yes, to answer your exact question, 'COULD A PLANE TAKE OFF FROM A CONVEYOR BELT'. Yes, *a* plane could. But probably not a 747.

Sure it could.  Have you ever seen the effects of being anywhere near a large plane's engine?  You could be thrown back in a big way, those things are powerful.  I believe that given the situation, the plane would have the necessary power to take off.

[dcc]

I thought velocity was 0 since the conveyor belt was moving at an equal speed but opposite direction to the plane (hence no net movement)? It's just like a person on a treadmill isn't it? They can run for an hour but their displacement hasn't changed (i.e. 0), so their velocity (displacement/time) should be 0.

Depends upon the frame of reference.  The plane is obviously moving in some frame of reference, because its moving!  Clearly in the correct frame, it will have momentum.