The airplane is going much faster than the car. I’m a bit confused. I’m guessing it has something to do with acceleration vs constant speed but not entirely sure how that works.
Any explanation is appreciated!
In: Physics
You do feel it in a plane, but only when they release the brakes and accelerate up the runway for takeoff. The rest of the time the acceleration os gradual, assuming we’re talking about passenger jets here. Other planes may have other rates of acceleration. In a fighter jet, they have to wear a special G-suit due to the forces exerted from acceleration and changes in direction, otherwise blood can have a hard time getting to the brain fast enough and the pilot can blackout.
Travelling in the plane is the same as travelling in the car, you are moving at the same speed as the plane/car. You’re free to move about.
Accelerating in the plane is the same as accelerating in the car, your body is stationary and the plane/car is moving forward. You feel the forces of the acceleration.
Speed is not what pushes you back. It’s acceleration, like you said. As long as there is acceleration (there is a change in speed occurring) then you will feel that as a force pushing you around. A plane at cruise speed is not changing speeds, and so there is no acceleration. You might be at 500 mph, 5000000 mph, or 0 mph. Doesn’t matter. You won’t be affected if there is no change happening (acceleration).
you’re exactly right. we feel acceleration but not speed. It takes much more force to get something moving than to keep it moving.
Things that aren’t moving don’t want to start moving. If you’ve ever left your drink on top of the car and started driving, if you put your foot on the gas, the drink will fall off the back of the roof. When you sit in a car and accelerate, your body doesn’t want to start moving so the seat pushes you forward. Eventually, you speed up to the same speed as the car and the seat stops pushing you forward. At this point, you can easily move around the inside of the car.
The same thing happens in an airplane. You feel the seat pushing you forwards until you are moving the same speed as the plane – about 500 miles per hour.
Its not about the speed, its about the difference in speed between you and whatever your standing/sitting in. In an airplane in the air you are moving at the same velocity as the airplane, because well, you are in the airplane.
Think of it like this. there is a house on the ground, you are standing in an airplane. The airplane lets say moves at 900km/h above the house.
Now lets make the airplane invisible, its still there just invisible. Now everyone in the house would see you standing in the plane instead, but according to them you would still be flying past the house at 900km/h.
The difference in speed between you and the plane is 0km/h therefore you cant feel it, the difference in speed between you and the house on the ground is 900km/h.
Infact, if you are walking forward in an airplane, you are moving slightly faster than the plane, and if you are walking back in the plane you are moving slightly slower.
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