Weird scientific questions

[LtKillroy]

I'll tell you what ksz, what your saying makes sense if what your saying is correct. But why did you ask us if you already knew. Got some sort of superiority complex?

[Kszchroink]

no brah s'cool i just was interested if you could figure it out, i kind of expected better

[urraka]

I think it was a good question.

[a-4-year-old]

Thats a load of bullshit. You act like the whole system is frictionless. It wouldn't work.

[Kszchroink]

guys, seaplane?

[a-4-year-old]

Do you have a point to make?

[chrisgbk]

My friends and I got into some heated arguments about these questions, so I decided to share them with SF to see what you guys think:

• Imagine an airplane standing on a gigantic treadmill. The plane is taking off, but the treadmill is moving in the opposite direction at the exact same speed. Would it still be able to lift off?
• Is 0.999... equal to 1?
• What would you consider to be a "big midget"? Where is the line between a big midget and a small person?

1) Depends on how fast the plane is moving relative to the air around it; if you tethered the plane to the ground and the wind was blowing hard enough, you could generate lift. Think of a kite. It's very unlikely, unless the plane was anchored to the treadmill and the treadmill anchored to the ground, that the plane would be able to stay on the treadmill, but if it was possible, then there would be no lift. Ever seen an automotive testing facility, where they have cars on rollers so the car can accelerate but not move? There is no wind generated in that circumstance, same as there would be only whatever breeze happened to be blowing which would be the same for another observer, and thus, no lift. So long as the plane is able to stay on the treadmill, and the treadmill also doesn't move.

2) See my response to the other quoted post below. Read a mathematics book and the wikipedia entry. Learn more.

3) It's all subjective, and frankly, irrelevent. Unless you are politically correct, and then you don't use the term midget, and exclusively use the term "little person" regardless of size.

My friends and I got into some heated arguments about these questions, so I decided to share them with SF to see what you guys think:

• Is 0.999... equal to 1?

Yes and no. It's like asking what 0⁰ is. Zero to any power is zero, but any number to the zeroth power is one.

The simplest proof for your question is as follows:
1/3 = .333...
3 * 1/3 = 3 * .333...
1 = .999...

The simplest refutation for that claim is that 1 - .999... = .0000...01.

That's not a refutation; you've implied, with 0.000...01, that an infinite sequence is finite, which is a contradiction.

1 - 0.999... = 0.000...

for as long as you go, there is no end, and thus never a terminating 1. This is one of the proofs that 1 == 0.999....

We already know that 0.000... == 0, so the difference between 0.999... and 1 is 0, meaning they are equal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/0.999... has tons of background, information, and more proofs.

Also, 0^0 is generally undefined, and certainly never equal to 0; in certain circumstances it is defined to be equal to 1, read about it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/0^0#Zero_to_the_zero_power

[Kszchroink]

Do you have a point to make?

my point has been made several times - the engine thrust would make the airplane accelerate and lift off. and yes, the system isn't frictionless. however, the amount of friction created would be completely insignificant

Date Posted: October 06, 2007, 02:22:23 pm

1) Depends on how fast the plane is moving relative to the air around it; if you tethered the plane to the ground and the wind was blowing hard enough, you could generate lift. Think of a kite. It's very unlikely, unless the plane was anchored to the treadmill and the treadmill anchored to the ground, that the plane would be able to stay on the treadmill, but if it was possible, then there would be no lift. Ever seen an automotive testing facility, where they have cars on rollers so the car can accelerate but not move? There is no wind generated in that circumstance, same as there would be only whatever breeze happened to be blowing which would be the same for another observer, and thus, no lift. So long as the plane is able to stay on the treadmill, and the treadmill also doesn't move.

furry avatar aside, you are incorrect by comparing an airplane to a car:
-cars move because the wheels spin
-airplanes move because the engines push them. the wheels are there to lessen friction.

[LtKillroy]

I do have a question, would the plane generate enough lift to take off? It would make some, but I can wave my arms creating a little lift, but do I fly?

[a-4-year-old]

according to your own post the treadmill is moving backwards at the exact same speed.

[Kszchroink]

it wouldn't make a little lift - as i was saying earlier, it'd accelerate to (roughly) the same speed it'd accelerate to on a normal runway, so it'd also generate (roughly) the same amount of lift

a4yo: do you still not fucking get it? the only thing that would happen is that the wheels would spin twice as fast. the airplane's speed would be unaffected (or affected by an insignificant amount, since there's still friction)

[blackdevil0742]

My friends and I got into some heated arguments about these questions, so I decided to share them with SF to see what you guys think:

• Imagine an airplane standing on a gigantic treadmill. The plane is taking off, but the treadmill is moving in the opposite direction at the exact same speed. Would it still be able to lift off?

No. It will not take off. The plane would still need to gain speed(as in moving an not standing still at the same spot) for the air to lift it.

[Kszchroink]

brrrrrrrrrrap blackdevil0742 you're a horrible poster, do you even read the threads you post in?

[Graham]

Yes because reading 5 pages just to state your opinion is a necessity. Instead of trying to be a jerk just reply to his statement.

[Kszchroink]

that's pretty much what i've been doing for the last three pages

[Graham]

Then link him to one of your posts that would answer his question. You really need to get down the whole debating thing before you start one...

[Kszchroink]

ok † since you're a debating expert


dearest blackdevil0742, in no particular order:
http://forums.soldat.pl/index.php?topic=20946.msg242007#msg242007
http://forums.soldat.pl/index.php?topic=20946.msg241994#msg241994
http://forums.soldat.pl/index.php?topic=20946.msg242000#msg242000

[LtKillroy]

I say we lock this, its going no where. (Though I still don't get how 1=.999..., I always thought its just really really close)

[Kszchroink]

it's going nowhere because most of you guys don't want to accept the truth since my first few posts were just insults. anyway, here's a pretty picture explaining why the plane would take off.

[Graham]

Or its going no where since it has not in ages. Look it up on the net and its obvious no definite "yes or no" has been decided.