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Conundrum

Plane on a treadmill experiment on Mythbusters tonight

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Watched " Smash Lab" .

I'm still on the fence about this show. [:/]



Not impressed at all. When they tested how a house would react to high winds, they built the first one like a house of cards. The wolf huffing and puffing could have blown it down.
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I saw it. Mythbusters is one of the few television shows I watch these days.

I'm sure several people remember this thread where the two versions of the myth were hashed out a couple years ago. It boils down to two scenarios:

1) The one first stated in the thread linked above where the conveyor matches the speed of the wheels - No the plane won't take off, and furthermore it's not possible to actually realize a conveyer that can do this.

2) The one linked to in post #37 of that thread, and the one tested on mythbusters, where the conveyer matches the speed of the plane - Of course it can take off, much the same way a plane with a strong tailwind can.

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I only watched part of it. I laughed when they had the plane sitting stationary on the treadmill with the little wheels spinning like crazy. Um yea...that'll generate enough airflow over the wings :S

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

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It bothers me how some of these shows sacrifice real 'science' for the sake of entertainment.

When they say 'So this proves....' I'm usually thinking, no it doesn't!



Yup~

Like the segment prior to the airplane one, they were trying to prove what it takes to break a car window under water.

1st they show that the estimated 350 lbs. of pressure against the window in two feet of water won't allow operation of the crank or electric roller downer.

Then they throw a car door in a tub of water and show you can't kick through it with steel toe boots...bet ya could with 350 pounds of pressure on the other side. :S










~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

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It just ended. Anyone else watch? B|

Of course, the plane took off like normal. What's funny is the pilot said he should sit there "like a brick" because the runway/treadmill would hold him in place. :S



So the pilot thinks the takeoff power comes from the landing gear wheels???:S
I suppose he also believes in the myth of the downwind turn.[:/]
"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

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I'm a little confused. And I didn't watch the show so please bear with me. When everyone was talking about this the last time I was under the impression that the treadmill was moving in the opposite direction the plane was traveling in, which is an absurd thing to think about assuming you know anything about how an airplane operates.

Are you now saying that the treadmill was travelling in the direction that the plane would normally go in order to take off? With the plane sitting on top of it?

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for the treadmill they used a 2000 foot long tarp laid out on the ground that was being drug in the opposite direction as the plane trying to take off. they had to stop one day because the wind was catching the tarp and blowing it around so they had to come back in the morning. it seems to me that one very small gust could have sent to tarp into the prop. i was actually shocked that the pilot didn't think his plane wold take off.


"Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama
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It's a long discussed myth...

The show and most discussions revolve around the treadmill going the opposite direction of travel...ie from the nose to the tail...

~But~

In actuality it doesn't matter which way the treadmill is going, the plane will still take off...the speed OR direction the wheels are going has nothing to do with the prop pulling the aircraft forward.


http://www.straightdope.com/columns/060203.html


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EopVDgSPAk










~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

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With Mythbusters theres at least SOME scientific approach.

I caught the middle of the show where they tried to blow apart a trailer and found it very mind numbing.




I agree. I've endured two episodes of SmashLab, I saw nothing really scientific, educational, or frankly useful about it...




Smash Lab Guy: "WHOAAAAHH! MAN!! HOLY COW!!"

Smash Lab Girl #1: "SHIT! DID YOU SEE IT BLOW UP!"

Smash Lab Girl #2: "YEAH! It was like in 100 pieces!"

Smash Lab Guy: "THAT WAS SOOO TOTALLY COOL!"

Smash Lab Girl #1: "YEAH, IT WAS SOO COOL WHEN IT BLEW UP!"

Smash Lab Girl #2: "I LIKE BLOWING STUFF UP!!"

Smash Lab Guy: "IT WAS LIKE, KA-BOOOM!!"

Smash Lab Girl #1: "Man, blowing stuff up is hot. It makes me want to take my shirt off and wear tiny shorts!"

Smash Lab Girl #2: "MEE TOO! Let's take our shirts off together and blow something up!"

Smash Lab Guy: "It was like, KA-BOOM!!!!


----------------------------------------------

This is my take on the stoopid show.
=========Shaun ==========


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Smash Lab Girl #1: "Man, blowing stuff up is hot. It makes me want to take my shirt off and wear tiny shorts!"

Smash Lab Girl #2: "MEE TOO! Let's take our shirts off together and blow something up!"


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Damn...I gotta start watching that show! :$











~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

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1) The one first stated in the thread linked above where the conveyor matches the speed of the wheels - No the plane won't take off, and furthermore it's not possible to actually realize a conveyer that can do this.



Why do you state that the plane won't take off? (Aside from such a conveyor being a logical impossibility once the plane starts moving)
Do you want to have an ideagasm?

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