Mythbusters - Anyone see something that will stop 6000 page threads?

[Daddie]

the only reason the plane would continue to go in a forward even if landing on a treadmill that is going the opposite way… is because of its momentum it had from flying through the air.

if you dropped a plane directly onto a moving treadmill from above, which direction would it go? obviously in the direction of the treadmill.

i’m not arguing the subject either way there, just touching on your point.

now onto the subject, let’s go backwards for shits and giggles. let’s turn the treadmill on first. say a plane is sitting on the giant treadmill, engines are off. the treadmill starts up, the plane starts moving backward, at 50 mph. the plane’s engines are started, but just set to exert the right amount of thrust to DIRECTLY combat the 50 mph of treadmill speed… what happens? the plane doesnt go anywhere, and the wheels spin in place. right?

50 mph treadmill backwards plus only 25 mph of thrust will still make the plane go backwards…

it’s the same if you’re holding the toy plane with a string… the faster the treadmill is going, the more force you have to hold onto the string with, else the plane goes backwards. if you pull forward on the string more, it will go forward, if you lessen the force, it will pull backwards.

so, IN THEORY, IFthe treadmill could ALWAYS exactly match the same force as exerted by the plane’s engines, wouldn’t the plane be stationary and not be able to lift off?

am i completely wrong? flame away if so. either way at least this is making the work day go by… lol

You are pretty much completely wrong.