Flying Problem

You are hovering in a helicopter well above the Earth's surface such that the helicopter is suspended in mid air, stationary with respect to the Earth. The Earth is rotating at the same time. Why should you fly to my destination, if it will come to you due to Earth's rotation?

Helicopter will crash because of the rotatory forces that bind it and the clouds. I can definitely reach my destination without wasting fuel. I will reach my destination but it will take me many years. My helicopter is rotating along with the Earth, though I do not notice it.

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9 solutions

Snehal Shekatkar
Jul 2, 2014

Before flying, helicopter was on earth and hence its velocity with respect to earth was zero. when it flew above hanging steadily, again its velocity with respect to earth remains zero i.e. it rotates alongwith earth and hence its not possible to fly to another destination like this.

I understand this question now, but what is confusing/misleading is your definition of "well above earth's surface" and "not moving". If you are up in the air and start off not moving relative to the rotation of the earth's surface, you will reach your destination. However, if you are up in the air and start off not moving relative to a stationary observer on the surface of the earth , then you will never reach your destination.

Milly Choochoo - 6 years, 11 months ago

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However, in reality I think this problem is a bit more complicated. The randomness (and severity in some places) of the atmospheric winds may allow a person up in the air (within the atmosphere) to one day reach their destination, much like how a small boat out in the middle of the ocean may drift many miles away without paddling.

Milly Choochoo - 6 years, 11 months ago

Because the air rotating with the Earth under the power of gravitation

Abanoub Fares - 6 years, 11 months ago

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In that case the clouds should be fixed because it moving with earth

mahmoud gad - 6 years, 10 months ago

When helicopter is on earth, both earth and helicopter have the same angular velocity ω \omega . When the helicopter is mid-air, floating, it still has the same angular velocity ω \omega . therefore, in the absence of any disturbance, the helicopter will catch up with the point where it left earth at all times and hence will not move forward relative to earth.

Manoj Gowda - 6 years, 11 months ago

Will you please elaborate it?

Archiet Dev - 6 years, 11 months ago

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Well, I had the same doubt in my school days. the reason behind this is , The Earth has some gravitional force on the above surface of the earth too.which means even though you are not touchng the ground it pulls you towards it(like falling from the air). If want to stay stable and reach destination, it is only possible if you escape from the earth bounderies.then you can reach your destination with out moving forward.But unfortunately till now directley moving forward is cheaper than escaping from the earth bounderies and coming back.Hence we are following the same. If you want more I can give some more examples. :)

Prasanth James - 6 years, 11 months ago

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I don't think thats fully true. Instead of rotational motion, think of a linear motion. For example, say that you are sitting on a stage which itself is moving wrt distant stars for example. You are bound to stage because of friction or something else (there is no gravity ). If now you leave stage and go at some height, still you would not reach your destination like you want to.

Snehal Shekatkar - 6 years, 11 months ago

You mean even the helicopter is well above the earth surface but still it's stuck to earth?? How is this possible.... Actually i am not satisfied with the answer i think it would be 1st one.

Tony Batham - 6 years, 11 months ago

Imagine a car Tyre during rains. As the Car wheel rotates, there is most of the water from the road which is carried or rotated along the wheel. Now apply the same on earth. As the earth rotates - All air in the atmosphere is rotating along with the earth. Thus any object floating in such air also rotates along with earth. If not you will experience a heavy wind and you will be blown off. The reason why air rotates along with earth is due to the gravitational pull. air also has weight and thus experiences gravitational pull towards earth. This is why as the altitude increases - the air pressure drops.

However - the case is different if you cross the layer beyond the earth's gravitational pull. Example a rocket or a satellite. once it crosses - it cannot or does not experience and thus does not rotate along with earth.

Senthil Kumar
Apr 27, 2016

It is due to a weakest force called gravitational force which holds the copter at its location and also it moves with respect to sun not with respect to earth

Sandeep Rathod
Nov 21, 2014

If with respect to earth we are steady , it implies that my helicopter too is rotating along with the earth as geostationary satellite(but this one near the surface of the earth) . thus forward velocity zero

Foo Yang
Sep 8, 2014

Although the velocity of the helicopter with respect to the earth is zero, the distance covered by the helicopter is actually further than the distance covered by the rotation of earth, because it is flying above the surface of the earth. Consider a the earth as a circle with radius r r then the helicopter must be flying alongwith the circumference of a bigger circle with radius R R , where R = r + h R=r+h , h is the altitude of the helicopter). We know that t = d / a t=d/a , so the time taken by the helicopter to 'orbit' the earth will be longer. Since the helicopter is travelling slower than the rotation of the earth, isn't it that the destination will come itself?

Sathya Narayanan
Aug 5, 2014

the reason is newton's 1st law. the helicopter had an horizontal velocity along with earth when it was on the ground and hence will continue to have the same even when it is in the air

I think it can be right answer

Anshu Agrawal - 6 years, 9 months ago
Tass Ania
Jul 27, 2014

When the helicopter takes off from Earth, it has a perpendicular velocity that is the same as the Earth. This velocity remains unchanged and the balance of gravity and the helicopters engine maintain the helicopters distance from the Earths centre of mass. In effect, one can think of this as the helicopter being in orbit around the Earth, with its initial velocity coming from being chucked off the Earth and unless a force is applied to change that perpendicular velocity, it will remain in that orbit.

Govind Khod
Apr 18, 2016

helicopter can't reach that destination because the helicopter exist in the earth's frame so, on this machine earth's laws will applicable;)

Diogo Moutinho
Nov 4, 2015

I think that, as long as gravity has a hold on the chopper... it will rotate with earth. The rotary forces of the chopper help it to "beat" gravity, but not completely, because it still has to have the rotor working to hover and balance it self with gravity. Thus the illusion of being "off the earth" but in fact gravity still has it grasp on it, so it will rotate with earth. Like you and me sitting on our chairs right now... or walking... whatever...

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