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

[quote=“SubaruDan,post:471,topic:37377"”]

Holding onto that rope represents you already exerting forward thrust to keep you in a constant position on the treadmill.

A plane on a treadmill doesn’t have a string to hold on to. The plane has to use its trust to move forward, and the treadmill will counteract that forward motion.

At a point the jet engine will be running at full capacity, unable to generate any more forward thrust, and if the treadmill moves the same speed in the opposite direction, the plane will not move, and there will be no lift off.

Now if you hand the pilot a string at this point, and he has a winch in the plane capable of winding up string fast enough to get the plane moving 150 mph (or whatever take off speed is) then the plane could take off. But he better make sure he has room for all that string in the cargo hold…

[/quote]

jesus, here do this to see the interaction of FREE SPINNING WHEELS on a body on a tread mill.

Find ideal bearings, ie as little as friction as possible, and install them in your rollerblades now make sure the treadmill is exactly level, stand on tread mill, lean slightly forward to counter act the little friction that will still exist in the bearings, turn on the treadmill and progressively bring it up to speed. See you are not going anywhere, now have you friend/girlfriend/parent come up and bash you in the back of the head with a Louisville Slugger for being a complete twat.

/experiment